DPO DPO Alarms, Fault Diagnosis & System Troubleshooting

Question 1

When a DP operator receives a 'position deviation' alarm, what is the immediate priority?

Accepted Answer

Assess the cause, check reference systems, and determine whether to intervene or disconnect the operation

Answer

The operator must quickly assess whether the deviation is caused by a reference error, environmental change, or thruster fault before deciding to intervene or initiate disconnect.

Question 2

A 'drive-off' in DP terminology refers to:

Accepted Answer

An uncontrolled vessel movement away from the set point caused by a DP system malfunction

Answer

A drive-off is an unintended, uncontrolled movement away from the set point, typically caused by a control system failure generating spurious thruster commands.

Question 3

What distinguishes a 'drift-off' from a 'drive-off' in DP incident classification?

Accepted Answer

A drift-off is a passive positional loss due to thruster/power failure; a drive-off is an active powered excursion due to control failure

Answer

A drift-off results passively when the DP system loses thrust capability and the vessel drifts under environmental forces, while a drive-off involves active erroneous thruster commands.

Question 4

During a blackout on a DP vessel, the first action the DPO should take is:

Accepted Answer

Initiate ASAP disconnect if over a subsea structure and alert the DP watchkeeping engineer

Answer

A total blackout removes DP capability and the vessel will begin to drift; if over sensitive subsea infrastructure, ASAP disconnect should be initiated immediately.

Question 5

Which thruster fault type is most likely to cause a sudden unplanned vessel rotation in DP?

Accepted Answer

A thruster delivering full thrust in the wrong direction (runaway/hardover)

Answer

A hardover or runaway thruster delivering maximum thrust in an unintended direction creates a large moment that can cause rapid, uncontrolled rotation of the vessel.

(DPO) Dynamic Positioning Operator Exam Practice Test

(DPO) Dynamic Positioning Operator Exam Practice Test

DPO DPO Alarms, Fault Diagnosis & System Troubleshooting