What is a VDR System?

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VDR (Voyage Data Recorder) is the maritime version of the black box airlines employ. The system is typically two-parts, consisting a data-collection unit and a deck-mounted safety pod that is designed to resist shock as well as fire, deep-sea pressing and penetration. It’s used to record the events of navigation, but can also provide valuable information for analysis of damage caused by heavy weather as well as performance monitoring and crew training.

Up-grading

Many ships equipped with VDR/SVDR equipment comply with the bare minimum regulatory requirements however, Members are urged to consider using the equipment for incident investigation or preventive maintenance as well as bridge team training as in addition to recording near misses. There are also packages that can extend the period during which VDR data will be accessible beyond the current minimum of 12 hours. The decision needs to be taken on whether to upgrade.

The system is built around an industrial computer that carries out various functions, including processing and encoding the information gathered by the sensors. It then stores the data in a capsule designed to survive an accident and provide proof of what took place on the ship. The primary components of the VDR system are a data collection unit that is located on the bridge, a dedicated power source and an interface unit, as well as backup batteries. The unit gathers all data from integrated sources including microphones used to record bridge audio, and then sends it to a Concentrator where a sequence of NMEA 0183 sentence is interpreted and encoded for transmission to the final recording media.