Wärtsilä Dynamic Positioning (DP) Control Systems ensure that the thrusters and rudders hold the vessel at a specific heading and position despite environmental forces that might drive ships off-station. The dynamic positioning system uses inputs from one or more heading sensors combined with position inputs from one or more position reference sensors to precisely control the vessel’s heading and position. These are compared against the operator-entered goal position and then used by the DP system’s Controller and Thrust Allocation Logic to compute the thruster and rudder commands needed to maintain the desired position and heading of the vessel.
The operator interacts with the DP system through the touch screen Multi-Functional Display (MFD). The MFD’s graphic displays allow the operator to control and monitor the vessel’s station-keeping performance while interacting directly with the system. This increases the safety and efficiency of system operations. The operator can also select which sensors and thrusters to use and set the system parameters that affect the DP operation via intuitive on-screen controls and tabs.
