Question 1

When a DPO first notices unexpected position movement that could be an excursion, what must be determined in the critical first 30 seconds?

Accepted Answer

Whether the movement is controlled (responding to DP commands correctly) or uncontrolled (an actual excursion); whether the movement is toward or away from the nearest hazard; and whether to intervene manually (joystick) or wait for the DP system to respond — this initial assessment determines the entire subsequent response The 30-second window is where the outcome of a DP incident is often determined. A DPO who recognises an uncontrolled excursion early and switches to joystick can counter the movement before it becomes critical. A DPO who waits to see if the DP system corrects, when the DP system is actually driving the excursion, wastes the entire window.

Question 2

What threshold triggers a mandatory report to IMCA under the DP incident reporting scheme?

Accepted Answer

Any unintended, uncontrolled vessel movement (excursion) or loss of position, thruster runaway (drive-off), loss of redundancy that constituted a genuine risk to the operation, or any DP-related event that could have resulted in a collision, grounding, or loss of life — regardless of whether actual contact or damage occurred IMCA's incident reporting scheme is explicitly designed to capture potential consequences, not just actual damage. Near-miss events, drive-offs that cleared the installation, and loss of redundancy without position loss are all reportable because the safety learning they generate is valuable regardless of outcome. IMCA maintains this as a confidential, non-punitive system to maximise industry-wide learning.

Question 3

What is a DPVE (DP Vessel Event) in the context of IMCA incident reporting?

Accepted Answer

A standardised category of DP incident in which the vessel experienced an unintended and uncontrolled excursion from its position setpoint, or a loss of position — the defining characteristic is that the excursion was uncontrolled (not intentional or commanded by the DPO) DPVE is the IMCA reporting category for uncontrolled position excursions. It distinguishes between excursions caused by the DP system failing to maintain position versus intentional movements. All DPVEs meeting the reporting threshold should be submitted to IMCA to contribute to the incident database that the DPTEG draws on for its annual safety bulletins.