With no physical anchor embedded in the sea floor, the Noble Bob Douglas drillship currently searching for oil off the Guyana coast remains in position through the use of a sophisticated computerized system controlled and monitored around the clock by well trained personnel.
The Noble Bob Douglas’ Dynamic Positioning is generally used in research ships and drilling vessels which have to venture into the deepest parts of the ocean and sea where winds and waves tend to be continuously altering. In situations like this, it could prove very tedious for a ship’s crew to lay anchors.
The Bob Douglas, positioned 88 nautical miles offshore, has Level III Dynamic Positioning (DP3) which comes with a back-up system secured in a separate location from the primary system. This ensures that in the event of a fire or flood, control of the vessel is maintained.
Elmo Cerise, Captain of the Noble Bob Douglas, explains…
