 When flipped, most of the ballast for the platform is provided by water at depths below the influence of surface waves, hence "FLIP" is stable and mostly immune to wave action similar to a spar buoy.At the end of a mission, compressed air is pumped into the ballast tanks in the flooded section and the platform, which has no propulsion, returns to its horizontal position so it can be towed to a new location.The platform is frequently mistaken for a capsized ocean transport ship.