Thruster entanglement during shuttle tanker operations
- DP Event
- Published on 13 September 2016
- Generated on 27 August 2025
- DPE 03/16
- 1 minute read
Undesired event
Operations were conducted according to procedure which need to be modified to limit the rope in the water to prevent entanglement.
Comments
Operations were conducted according to procedures. It was concluded that the procedures for this operation needed to be modified to limit the amount of rope in the water to prevent bow thruster entanglement.
Considerations
- Operations were being conducted within limits that allowed for disconnection to be completed in a controlled manner using the redundancy of thrusters.
- All vessel types are reminded to review procedures that might affect DP operations, particularly those covering downlines, hoses, ropes, etc.
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The case studies and observations above have been compiled from information received by IMCA. All vessel, client, and operational data has been removed from the narrative to ensure anonymity. Case studies are not intended as guidance on the safe conduct of operations, but rather to assist vessel managers, DP operators, and technical crew.
IMCA makes every effort to ensure both the accuracy and reliability of the information, but it is not liable for any guidance and/or recommendation and/or statement herein contained.
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