VDR (Voyage Data Recorder) is the maritime equivalent of the black box airlines use. The system is usually two-part and consists of the data-collecting unit, which is connected to a capsule that is deck-mounted designed to withstand fire, deep sea pressure, shock and penetration. It is used to capture navigational incidents, but it can also provide valuable data to assess damage during heavy weather monitoring performance and crew training.
Up-grading
Many ships fitted with VDR/SVDR equipment meet the minimum requirements of regulatory compliance however, Members are urged to think about using the equipment to investigate incidents, preventive maintenance and bridge team training as in addition to recording near misses. Additionally, there are software options that could significantly extend the duration for which VDR data is accessible from the current minimum of 12 hours and a decision should be made about whether or not to upgrade to this.
The system is based on an industrial grade computer that performs various functions, including processing and encoding information received from sensors. The data is then stored inside database access control best practices a capsule designed to survive an accident and provide evidence of what transpired on the ship. The VDR system consists of a data collection device located on the bridge, as also a dedicated power supply, an interface unit, and backup batteries. The unit gathers data from all integrated sources, including microphones to record bridge audio, and sends it to the Concentrator. Here, a sequence of NMEA 0183 sentences are interpreted and encoded before being sent to the final recording medium.