R/V Vifya on Lake Malawi, Africa, 2004.
DOSECC provided the Dynamic Positioning (DP) system for the Lake Malawi Drilling Project. In water depths greater than about 200 m, anchoring becomes less effective as a means of maintaining the position of a drilling vessel. In these deeper waters, DP is required. DOSECC has acquired a portable DP system with funding from the National Science Foundation and the International Continental Scientific Drilling Program. This unit is intended to be able to convert vessels of opportunity into drilling platforms.
The system consists of four thrusters powered by four diesel-hydraulic power packs. The system is controlled by a Nautronix JSDP5000 (DP-1 class) system that uses either a GPS signal or a seabed beacon for position keeping

View from above of R/V Vifya, showing two of the four the dynamic positioning thrusters and power units.
Link to the Syracuse University Lake Malawi Drilling Project website here.

IRIS Real-Time Earthquake Map
©2010 DOSECC All rights reserved
This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 0829286. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions
or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.
Nominations Now Being Accepted for DOSECC Board of Directors
and
Science Planning Committee
ICDP Training Course:
Lightening the Darkness: From Borehole Measurements to Earth Models
Workshop Report:
THE FUTURE OF CONTINENTAL SCIENTIFIC DRILLING:
U.S. PERSPECTIVE
13th Annual Continental Scientific Drilling Workshop
dates to be determined Salt Lake City, UT, USA