IN 1729 – DP station keeping reporting scheme

A new updated IMCA DP station keeping event report form has recently been released, as well as a new method in which to submit it.

It maintains the clarity and layout of the 2020 version and assists the user to input the information which is required by companies and IMCA to fully assess the causes and lessons to be learnt from a DP station keeping event.

The three reporting categories remain unchanged, namely: DP incident, DP undesired event, and DP observation.

The most obvious changes to the form are to the event findings and correction actions section, but those and other improvements are summarised here:

• Event finding section: The form asks for the author to provide the causes of the event, in the form of a Main cause and Underlying cause (previously Main and Secondary causes).
  
  
  • Main cause is the direct cause of the DP event. An example being the DP event is a loss of redundancy due to a thruster failure, so the main cause = Propulsion & Thrusters
    
    
  • Underlying cause is the root cause of the event. Using the previous example, following investigation the failure of the thruster was found to be a faulty power module, hence the underlying cause = Electrical
    
    
• Following feedback at IMCA’s DP Conference 2025 the Main cause categories have been updated to align with the chapters of a vessel’s Failure Mode & Effects Analysis (FMEA), with a few familiar additional options:
  
  
  • Main, Auxiliary and Thruster Systems / Power Generation / Power Management / Power Distribution / Propulsion & Thrusters / Vessel Management Systems & Networks / DP Control Systems / Safety Systems / Environmental / External Factors / Human Factors
    
    
• The Underlying cause categories remain similar to the previous version:
  
  
  • Computer / Electrical Component / Mechanical Component / Environmental / Human Factors / Position Reference / Sensor
    
    
• Additional information requested for component failure, to understand the nature of the failure (for example, lack of maintenance or natural failure)
  
  
• Person on the DP desk at the time of the event (such as Snr DPO / DPO) to be recorded
  
  
• Further utilisation of drop-down boxes allows for commonality of collected information.

The form is available on the IMCA website as an interactive PDF file that can be downloaded, renamed and saved for forwarding to the DP vessel owner and IMCA, or it can be printed and completed by hand if required.

If completing the form offline, it can then be emailed to: [email protected].

A further advancement for this version is the capability to now complete and submit your form online, which is now live via the IMCA services portal. This modern, intuitive platform will make it easier and faster for DP professionals and contractors to submit reports and contribute to safer offshore operations.

The new reporting system has been designed with simplicity and accuracy in mind. By streamlining the submission process and standardising data fields, IMCA aims to improve the quality of station keeping reports and produce faster analysis.

This enhanced approach ensures that valuable insights can be shared more quickly, supporting the development of updated guidance, training materials, and best practices across the industry.

The DP event bulletins continue to be well received from the DP community and are shared freely with the industry through IMCA’s DP Incidents database. The platform delivers crucial insights into DP events, incidents, observations, and drill scenarios. Individual entries can be downloaded as a PDF file to share and print within your own organisation and are fully searchable for quick reference. The committee intends to continue with the provision of three to four bulletins per year.

The results from all the submitted station keeping forms are analysed and published each year in IMCA’s Dynamic Positioning Station Keeping Review. The report enables vessels to easily compare actual events that have occurred with the situation on board their vessel, use the information as part of their operational risk assessments and ask the question “Could this happen on my vessel?”

The results also inform the work of IMCA’s DP Committee, inform guidance in IMCA’s Technical Library, and are used to update the training we offer to DPOs through our DP CPD app.

For more information about this, please contact
[email protected].