DPO, or Dynamic Position Operator, this profession is known as simply pressing a button, but what exactly does such a person do? If you look at this more closely, you will discover that the operator must certainly have knowledge of the system and that you must get a kind of ‘feel’ for the controls, just like sailing by hand.
What is dynamic positioning?
Dynamic positioning is a system in which the position of the ship is determined based on certain reference systems, the factors that move the ship out of position are then determined and, using a mathematical calculation model, the forces required to remain in position are calculated. or perform a certain maneuver. The system itself controls the thrusters using the results of these calculations.
What is a dynamic positioning operator (DPO)?
A dynamic positioning operator is the person responsible for steering the ship when sailing in dynamic position. In practice, this is often the helmsman or captain because as soon as the DP is switched on, the regular operating system is switched off. However, there are still positions in which one is only a DPO. Since DP is often used close to very expensive constructions and an accident can cause a lot of economic damage or environmental damage besides fatalities or injuries, DPO is a very responsible profession and it therefore pays accordingly.
What does the dynamic positioning operator do?
The system has the following 3 main control modes, joystick mode, autoposition mode and autotrack mode. The DPO maneuvers the ship on the joystick, enters orders regarding distance and direction or sets a track for the ship to sail. The system tries to carry out these commands without taking into account the possibilities and impossibilities of the ship. If the ship does not have the power for the set task, it will still carry out this task as best as possible and overload the thrusters. It may also be that the ship has no power left at too high a speed, for example to maintain heading. That is why the DPO is constantly checking and adjusting settings. The reference systems must also be constantly monitored because if they are weak, the indicated position of the ship will deviate too much from reality. The DPO can use alarms, but must indicate the acceptable range himself. For a critical job, it is often advisable to first sail a test square to optimize the calculation model for the current variables (this takes about 20 minutes), to adjust the settings properly and to see how far the ship has exceeded its target. shoot.
Career
You do not need any previous training to follow the training to become a DPO, but in practice these are usually people who have had nautical training and they want to make this a requirement in the future. The career consists of taking courses and doing practical days on a DP ship. All this progress is kept in the personal DP logbook. For the practical days, a distinction is made between DP1 and DP2/DP3 systems. A limited certificate is issued for DP1.
Junior DPO
The Junior DPO certificate is issued after completing the DP induction course of 4 days, after which 30 practical days must be completed.
Senior DPO
The Senior DPO certificate is issued after completing the DP advanced course of 4 days, after which 180 practical days must be completed. There are also 4-day courses that count for 15 practical days.
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- Dynamic Positioning