Only Those Who Can Interrogate Automation Will Thrive – Captain Precious Atteh 

The role of a guardian on the offshore frontier has never been more critical. Captain Precious Atteh is a seasoned marine professional, who exemplifies this responsibility. In a recent interview, he highlighted how the industry is shifting toward diagnostic expertise, noting that only those who can effectively work with and interrogate automated systems will thrive […]

The role of a guardian on the offshore frontier has never been more critical. Captain Precious Atteh is a seasoned marine professional, who exemplifies this responsibility. In a recent interview, he highlighted how the industry is shifting toward diagnostic expertise, noting that only those who can effectively work with and interrogate automated systems will thrive amid the growing officer shortage.

Can you walk us through a recent high-stakes rig move or DP operation that tested your decision-making under pressure?

During a dry bulk discharge alongside a DP drilling ship, a sudden squall increased winds to 28 knots, altered currents, and reduced visibility, causing the vessel to drift and thrusters to near their limits while anchor handlers were constrained. The operation was aborted, the bulk hose safely disconnected, and the vessel relocated about 500 meters to a safe holding position where DP was maintained until conditions improved. Key risks included potential collision with the drilling ship, thruster overload, environmental spill, reduced crew safety, and limited external support. The outcome was entirely positive: no collision, damage, pollution, or injuries, and operations resumed safely once conditions stabilized. Main lessons were that safety outweighs schedule, weather can deteriorate rapidly, and strong communication plus effective thruster management are vital, leading to recommendations for tighter weather limits, clear abort criteria, regular DP emergency drills, improved low-visibility protocols, and sharing this case for training.

In a situation where a rig starts to shift or a DP alarm triggers unexpectedly, what is your mental checklist in those first 10 seconds?

In the first ten seconds after a DP alarm, focus on regaining control or aborting safely; not finding the root cause.

Within the first three seconds, verify the situation: check if the vessel is actually moving or if it is a sensor fault by reviewing heading, comparing actual and “ghost” positions, cross-checking all reference systems, noting alarm color (red for loss of position, yellow for degraded status), and confirming visually.

From seconds four to six, assess options: check thruster output, power status, and determine whether it’s a drive-off (DP pushing the wrong way) or a drift-off (loss of thrust).

By seconds seven to ten, act decisively. Switch to manual or joystick if movement continues toward danger, alert subsea crew to prepare for disconnection, steer clear of the structure, and use clear bridge commands like “I have control.”

Follow the DP operator’s golden rule: if you don’t quickly understand why the vessel is moving, take manual control immediately.

How would you say major oil protocols shape your day-to-day decisions on safety and operational integrity?

In the offshore world, an oil major – Chevron, Shell, ExxonMobil, or TotalEnergies – is far more than a client; its protocols form the “operating system” behind every decision made on the bridge. Frameworks like OVID and MSF replace intuition with structured, data-driven compliance that directly shapes daily operations.The DP Footprint is tightly governed by ASOG rules that dictate how much risk a vessel may assume around an asset. If conditions breach a 30 percent power reserve threshold, operations stop automatically. The DPO’s focus shifts from navigation to constant verification that the vessel remains within its approved “footprint.”

Standardized Safety eliminates shortcuts. Tasks once done on instinct, such as freeing a snagged line without a Permit to Work (PTW), are no longer permitted. PMS-driven maintenance ensures equipment integrity, protecting crews from pressure to operate under unsafe conditions.

Compliance Defines Competency in this environment. Oil majors validate experience, not just certification. A Senior DPO may need 500+ hours on a specific vessel before leading a CAM watch, and if unavailable, protocols can restrict operations, even with fully licensed crew; quantifying competence rather than assuming it.

Could you share with us what qualities separate a reliable DP operator or rig mover from a great one?

In high-risk marine environments, the gap between reliability and greatness isn’t revealed on calm days but in how the mind performs when things deviate from plan. A reliable operator follows the manual; a great one understands the physics and psychology behind it.

Great operators move from reactive to predictive; they sense the ship’s struggle before alarms sound, reading the rhythm of thrusters, the tension in lines, and the wind’s subtle cues. They communicate with humility, making it safe for anyone on the bridge to question decisions because ego, in this environment, is a liability. Their awareness extends beyond their vessel; they understand the entire ecosystem; the influence of currents, subsea structures, and the coordination of every tug in motion.

Greatness stems from deep technical mastery. Procedures are memorized by the reliable; systems are internalized by the great. When automation falters, they don’t lose control. They become it.

In essence, true excellence in DP operations lies in awareness, humility, and technical depth; the mental architecture that turns a good operator into a great one.

How has working across different regions and training cultures shaped your approach to safety and training?

If I were to distill it down, a reliable operator is a guardian of the status quo, while a great operator is a master of the transition. Whether moving from DP to manual control or shifting from a routine maneuver to an emergency abort, greatness is defined by composure.

“The ship doesn’t know it’s in danger; only the operator does. If the operator stays calm, the ship stays stable.”

Having navigated the rigid regulatory waters of the Gulf of Guinea and the complex, relationship-driven environments of West Africa, my approach to safety has evolved from “following rules” to “managing human systems.” Safety is a universal language, but it is spoken in many dialects.

Working in West Africa like Nigeria, Angola, and more, presents unique challenges: respect for authority can sometimes create a “silent bridge” when a superior makes a mistake. This is where I learned Crew Resource Management (CRM) in its truest form. When power is held tightly, communication breaks, as you saw in your CDA situation.

My approach focuses on flattening the authority gradient. I teach junior officers to “Challenge and Confirm” without being disrespectful, emphasizing clear, structured communication. I use the PACE model to ensure that every voice can contribute, even in high-pressure situations

Can you recall an incident that changed the way you think about risk, trust, or technology offshore?

Looking back over 20 years, one incident was transformative for me as a master/SDPO across multiple sectors: the shift in handling Position Reference System (PRS) weighting during dry bulk offloading or close-quarters DSV work. In the early days, we relied heavily on DGPS and first-generation microwave or laser systems. The memory that sticks for many senior DPOs involves signal “shadowing” or multipath during offloading.

I was on a large DSV, maneuvering near a massive FPSO. As I moved into the structure’s shadow, my DGPS began losing satellites. Instead of a hard fail, the signal “wandered” due to reflections, fooling the DP system into thinking the vessel was drifting away. The system started “correcting” by driving the ship toward the structure. That moment reshaped my mindset: momentum is unforgiving. By the time the DP recognized a mismatch, 100,000 tons of steel were already heading the wrong way.

I learned to trust the physics over the box. Inertial Navigation Systems became essential, providing an internal check against misleading external signals. Working on AHTS/PSV vessels reinforced that redundancy is an illusion if your power systems aren’t properly segregated; bus-tie failures taught me to plan for thrusters failing, not just assume they’d be there. And in DSV/ROV operations, the umbilical is not just equipment; it is life support. Software can freeze, screens can lie, so independent joysticks and manual backups became a rule, not a convenience.

After two decades, my “internal compass” has evolved. Risk is now felt in the vibration of a thruster before an alarm sounds, in the subtle cues that screens can’t yet show. Experience has taught me to read the ship, the sea, and the physics first, trusting technology as a tool; not the final authority.

Where do you see the future of offshore navigation and human expertise heading, especially now when advances in automation and AI influence DP systems?

As a master SDPO, managing the tight tolerances of a DSV and PSV/AHTS, the future is not about machines replacing me; it is about them becoming co-pilots, demanding a more sophisticated kind of “flight instructor.” Manual monitoring of “green lights” is fading as AI evolves from generative, which makes plans, to agentic, which executes tasks. Soon, DP systems will use reinforcement learning to optimize thruster efficiency in real time. My role shifts to monitoring AI logic through Explainable AI (XAI), deciding whether its suggested actions make sense.

Future DP systems will integrate LiDAR, thermal imaging, and 360° vision, providing holistic situational awareness. Digital twins will simulate millions of “what-ifs,” predicting events like a “Drive-Off” seconds before they occur, preventing accidents before they happen.

As AI handles most tasks, human skill fade becomes the primary risk. Junior DPOs may struggle with the critical one percent, especially during errors or cyber threats. Expertise is shifting toward diagnostic skill, and those who can interrogate automation will thrive amid the looming officer shortage.

I have seen the industry move from paper charts to ECDIS (full meaning), and from manual station-keeping to DP. Each step refined, rather than replaced, seamanship. The intuition built over decades navigating challenging waters like the Gulf of Guinea cannot be fully replicated by 2026 AI. Gut instinct remains irreplaceable.