Although the first vessel equipped with Dynamic Positioning technology (DP) went afloat in 1961, the facility did not become commonly used until the late 1970s and the 1980s. Since this era, the technology has developed apace, and DP is now a well-established technique, used in approximately 1200 vessels worldwide. One of the more significant developments is the increase in the range of vessels making use of DP technology. Until recently, almost all DP-capable vessels were involved in one way or another with the offshore (oil and gas) exploitation industries. The majority of DP vessels in the 1980s were drillships, dive and offshore support vessels, construction, pipelay and the like. Today, we regularly see DP being installed in vessel types as diverse as cruise ships, dredgers, hydrographic survey, buoy tenders, polar and fisheries research vessels, sea-bed mining, and even a rocket launch facility! All of these vessels are able to benefit from the additional manoeuver-ability and precision position control afforded by DP.
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