If your DP System is also your Autopilot, the Nautical Institute is also accepting that time. In short, you set up your DP System on Autopilot at the sea buoy on the way out, and go back on manual when you return. I would recommend logging a DP setup in the ships DP Logbook for future reference if needed. Stay up an extra hour or get up an hour early when it will give you another day. Keep track of all your days carefully. I would even consider making photocopies of the boats logbooks. All you need is ONE hour a day on either DP or Autopilot for it to count. It`s a giant PIA for sure, but it is what it is. Even those of us who have had our DPO certs for years are now going to have to renew them every five years at the Nautical Institute. I need to go back to the beginning of 2012 and figure out how many actual days on DP so I will be able to renew at the end of next year. I know guys who didn’t even bother to keep a logbook, so I guess I’m not in too bad of shape. It seems to me that the Nautical Institute is geared towards Drillships, or pipe laying vessels, and not OSV’s. Maybe they don’t really want to deal with us - who knows. Seems like there should be an Organization near the GOM, that would be better at certifying DPO;s for the oil patch. I guess the bottom, line is- yes, it takes quite a bit of time to get the DP days, and document everything for your own good! My DPO Trainee’s only got 4 days out of 28 last hitch!