Investigation on the Positioning Capability of Anchor Handling Vessels

The aim of this paper is to study anchor handling vessel (AHV) thrust capacity during anchor deployment. The thrust utilisation plot, a concept widely used in the Dynamic Positioning (DP) system, is used to illustrate the positioning capability of an AHV. Bollard pull reduction due to heavy side thruster loading is considered. Thrust loss of the stern tunnel thruster due to main propeller action is also considered. The Bourbon Dolphin accident was investigated as a case study using the proposed model and methodology. The result showed that thrust loss restricted the vessel positioning capability significantly during the accident event.