ESTABLISHING STANDARDS
Since its founding in 1996, the Marine Technology Society’s (MTS) Dynamic Positioning Committee (DPC) has worked at the forefront of advancing safety, predictability, and confidence in DP operations around the world. From publishing technical guidance to facilitating dialogue among operators, assurance providers, regulators, and equipment manufacturers, the Committee has continually pressed toward a single goal: delivery of dependable, incident-free stationkeeping that protects lives, assets, and the marine environment.
PRIORITIZING SAFETY & ASSURANCE
This mission was reinforced earlier this year through a landmark collaboration. The MTS DPC joined with the International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA) and the Oil Companies International Marine Forum (OCIMF) and spearheaded the efforts to publish JDP01 – A Unified Approach to Verification, Validation, and Assurance of Single Fault Tolerance in DP Systems.
Produced through a Joint Development Project, this guidance provides a transparent, evidence-based framework for validating redundancy integrity across vessel design, testing, and operations. By bringing together IMCA’s contractor perspective, OCIMF’s operational focus, and MTS’s technical and academic expertise, the project underscored how collective effort can move the industry forward on safety and assurance.
A GLOBAL OUTREACH
The Committee’s reach also extends beyond technical publications. Through the Friends of MTS DPC Chapters in Singapore, Aberdeen, Brazil, and Norway, DP professionals are convening workshops, mentoring peers, and exchanging lessons learned. These localized initiatives feed into a broader global dialogue, while advancing geography-specific practices and cultivating the next generation of DP leaders.
Looking ahead, the importance of DP in safeguarding subsea infrastructure will only continue to grow. The DPC remains committed to ensuring that progress rests on a foundation of reliability and safety – a commitment that will be on full display at the Annual DP Conference & Workshop, taking place October 13–15 in Houston. For more than two decades, this event has served as a leading forum for sharing incident analyses, lessons learned, and technical breakthroughs that shape the practice.
At its core, dynamic positioning is about trust: in the technology, in the people who operate it, and in the standards that bind the industry together. The MTS DPC is proud to uphold that trust and help ensure that the subsea assets vital to our world remain secure.
This spotlight appeared in ON&T Magazine’s 2025 October Edition, Subsea Infrastructure: Integrity & Security, to read more access the magazine here.
