Dynamic positioning of ships
Posicionamiento dinámico de buques
- Date
- 1961 · confidence medium
- Place
- Guadalupe Island, Baja California, Mexico
- Credited to
- Shell (Howard Shatto) and Project Mohole (Walter Munk)
- Field
- Movement
⚠️ Disputed: the sources disagree.
What it is
A system keeping a ship over a point on the seabed without anchors, using steerable thrusters controlled from a position reference. It was proven in 1961 with Project Mohole's CUSS I and Shell's Eureka.
Priority is split between Shell's Eureka (automatic control, 1961) and Mohole's CUSS I (sonar-based position, 1961), with manual operation at first.
What it led to
- drilling and works in deep water
- support and cable-laying vessels
- installation of offshore platforms and turbines