A dynamic positioning system (DPS) uses thrusters and a control system to automatically maintain a vessel's position without anchors or mooring lines. It has three subsystems: a power system, thruster system, and DP control system. The DP control system coordinates with the other subsystems to maintain the vessel's position based on inputs like sea state. There are three types of DP systems that have increasing levels of reliability and redundancy in key components like power, thrusters, and controls.