Understanding human decision making during critical incidents in dynamic positioning

Critical incidents in Dynamic Positioning (DP) have potential disastrous consequences. DP operators have to make time-critical decisions in order to rapidly and effectively handle such unexpected incidents. The purpose of this study was to identify characteristics of critical incidents in DP operations and characteristics of decision-making. Semi-structured interviews using the Critical Decision Method were conducted with 13 experienced DP operators. It was found that decision-making in critical incidents in DP are naturalistic and recognition primed. This study contributes to an increased understanding of critical incidents in DP operations and the key decision-making processes in critical DP incidents.