The offshore industry is at a critical juncture. As operations expand into more challenging environments and regulatory requirements become increasingly stringent, traditional dynamic positioning (DP) systems are showing their limitations.
For shallow water operators, managing heavy lift vessels, supply operations and construction projects, maintaining DP2 compliance while dealing with GNSS interference, environmental restrictions and operational complexity has become a daily struggle.
Recent sea trials in the Malacca Straits aboard the MV Bloemgracht, a next-generation DP2 heavy lift vessel, have demonstrated a game-changing solution that addresses these challenges head-on: SPRINT-Nav DP.
A paradigm shift: true independence in dynamic positioning
SPRINT-Nav DP represents a fundamental shift in how we approach dynamic positioning. Unlike traditional systems that rely on external infrastructure or vulnerable GNSS signals, SPRINT-Nav DP achieves true independence through intelligent sensor fusion.
The system combines a high-altitude Doppler velocity log (DVL), precision inertial sensors and an accurate pressure sensor in a single, factory-calibrated housing.
This integration eliminates the need for seabed beacons, transponders or fixed targets – infrastructure that is often impractical, expensive or environmentally restricted in shallow water operations.
Real-world performance: the Bloemgracht trials
The trials demonstrated the practical benefits operators can expect:
Extended operating envelope: Testing confirmed reliable operation in water depths up to 225 m over sandy seabeds, with expectations for even greater depths over harder substrates. This coverage encompasses most continental shelf operations.
Exceptional accuracy: During comprehensive FMEA box manoeuvres in 200 m water depth, SPRINT-Nav DP maintained position correlation with GNSS to within 0.5 m– well within DP2 operational requirements.
Long-duration reliability: Perhaps most impressively, during a 1.5-day station-keeping test with GNSS disabled, the system maintained position accuracy within 2 m peak difference from the reference.
This performance level ensures that operators can maintain compliance even during extended operations where traditional references might be compromised.
Strategic advantages for shallow water operators
- Operational flexibility – SPRINT-Nav DP’s independence from external infrastructure means vessels can maintain DP2 compliance in locations where traditional acoustic positioning systems cannot be deployed. This flexibility opens new operational possibilities and reduces the constraints that often drive project costs and timelines.
- Environmental compliance – Operating at 375 kHz – outside the frequency ranges considered harmful to marine mammals – and requiring no seabed deployment, SPRINT-Nav DP enables operations in environmentally sensitive areas where traditional systems would be restricted or prohibited.
- Simplified installation and operation – The system’s factory calibration and minimal vessel-specific calibration requirements translate to reduced installation time and complexity. For operators managing multiple vessels or frequent mobilisations, this simplification delivers significant cost and time savings.
- Enhanced safety through redundancy – By providing a truly independent position reference that doesn’t rely on the same infrastructure as other DP systems, SPRINT-Nav DP strengthens the redundancy that DP2 and DP3 operations require.
- Beyond positioning: added value through water current profiling – SPRINT-Nav DP’s dual functionality as an acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP) provides operators with valuable environmental data that can optimise operations and enhance safety. The system’s ability to measure water currents while compensating for vessel motion delivers actionable intelligence about subsea conditions that traditional vessel-mounted ADCPs cannot provide.
During the Malacca Straits testing, the system revealed complex current profiles with significant variations through the water column – intelligence that can inform operational planning, improve safety and optimise fuel consumption through better understanding of environmental forces.
ADCP data showing significant flow at 60m water depth
The economic case for independence
For shallow water operators, the business case for SPRINT-Nav DP extends beyond technical capability to fundamental operational economics:
- Reduced mobilisation costs: No need for survey vessels to deploy acoustic beacons
- Eliminated demobilisation requirements: No equipment recovery operations
- Expanded operational windows: Ability to work in areas where traditional systems cannot
- Enhanced project certainty: Reduced risk of DP reference failures impacting schedules
- Simplified logistics: Single system installation with minimal ongoing maintenance
Looking forward: the future of independent DP
As the offshore industry continues to push into more challenging environments and face increasing operational complexity, the need for truly independent positioning systems will only grow. SPRINT-Nav DP represents not just an evolutionary improvement in DP technology, but a fundamental reimagining of how dynamic positioning can be achieved.
For shallow water operators, particularly those managing heavy lift operations, construction support, and complex offshore projects, SPRINT-Nav DP offers a pathway to enhanced operational capability and improved safety margins.
The successful trials aboard the MV Bloemgracht demonstrate that this technology is not a future possibility – it’s an operational reality today.
As operators seek to maintain competitive advantage in an increasingly challenging market, the question isn’t whether independent DP systems like SPRINT-Nav DP will become standard – it’s how quickly forward-thinking operators will adopt them to capture the competitive advantages they offer.
The era of truly independent dynamic positioning has arrived. For shallow water operators, the opportunity to break free from traditional constraints and unlock new operational possibilities is available now.
Want to find out how SPRINT-Nav DP could support your next mission? We’re here to help you navigate.