VDR (Voyage Data Recorder) is the maritime version of the black box airlines use. The system is usually two-part, comprising an information-collecting unit that is connected to a capsule that is deck-mounted designed to withstand fire, deep sea pressure and shock, as well as penetration. It is used to capture events that occur during navigation, but it can also provide valuable information to analyze damage from heavy weather, performance monitoring and crew training.
Up-grading
Many ships equipped with VDR/SVDR equipment meet the bare minimum regulatory requirements, but Members are encouraged to consider using the equipment to investigate incidents as well as preventive maintenance and bridge team training, as well as for recording near misses. There are also software that allow for an extension of the duration for which VDR data is available beyond the minimum of 12 hours. A decision should be taken on whether to upgrade the equipment.
The system is built around an industrial computer that carries out several functions, including processing and encoding the data received from the sensors. The capsule is designed to survive any kind of accident and to store the data. The VDR system is made up of an data collection device situated on the bridge as well as a dedicated power supply, an interface unit, and backup batteries. The unit gathers all data from integrated sources such as microphones used to record bridge audio and transmits it to a Concentrator, where a sequence of NMEA 0183 sentence is interpreted and encoded before being sent to the final recording media.