Accidental breaker trip
- DP Event
- Published on 3 September 2019
- Generated on 26 December 2024
- DPE 03/19
- 1 minute read
Undesired event
The watch keeping engineer lost his balance and his hand made contact with the shaft generator breaker push button.
Comments
The vessel was experiencing heavy rolling and pitching. The watch keeping engineer lost his balance and his hand made contact with the No.2 shaft generator breaker push button, thus opening the breaker and causing the loss of power.
The vessel has installed transparent covers over vulnerable breaker push buttons to avoid re-occurrence.
Considerations
- Although the incident could have been avoided by better protecting the breaker push-button, the DP system responded as designed.
- Most regulatory authorities require covers to be fitted on emergency stops which have the potential to impact operations.
- The vessel could have moved clear while still on Automatic DP, instead of changing to joystick control.
- With only one generator on-line on each bus, failure of one may cause a partial black-out. It is assumed that this was included in the operational philosophy and activity specific planning.
Latest DP incidents
-
Prepare for 2025 solar activity
This case study covers events that occurred on the same vessel, eight months apart.
DPE 02/24
29 July 2024
Undesired event
-
Know your vessel capabilities and when to stop!
An incident that occurred on an equipment class 2 MODU, during well intervention operations.
DPE 02/24
29 July 2024
Incident
-
Duty/not duty, which is the question?
With no steering control of the port azimuth thruster, and no other thrusters operational, the heading of the FPU could not be maintained.
DPE 02/24
29 July 2024
Undesired event
-
You’ve got the ASOG, so now you’ve got to follow it
This case study examines an incident that occurred on an equipment class 2 MODU, during well intervention operations.
DPE 02/24
29 July 2024
Incident
-
Button trouble
A Dynamically Positioned vessel experienced a loss of Dynamic Positioning (DP) control while installing cable within a wind farm.
DPE 01/24
3 April 2024
Incident
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.
Any queries should be directed to DP team at IMCA. Share your DP incidents with IMCA online. Sign-up to receive DP event bulletins straight to your email.