Voyage data recorder

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M/V Barfleur
This image shows the AMI Marine ltd Float Free Capsule used on ships to store a minimum of 48 hours of recorded data. if the vessel sinks the capsule case (white) will open and release the Yellow capsule from inside, this capsule will then float to the surface and emit a distress signal to alert shore side authorities.
A fixed Data Capsule of VDR mounted on a container ship

Voyage data recorder, or VDR, is a

tamper-proof
unit designed to withstand the extreme shock, impact, pressure and heat, which could be associated with a marine incident (fire, explosion, collision, sinking, etc.).

Passenger ships and ships other than passenger ships of 3000 gross tonnage and upwards constructed on or after 1 July 2002 must carry voyage data recorders (VDRs) to assist in accident investigations, under regulations adopted in 2000, which entered into force on 1 July 2002.

When the ship sinks in a marine accident, the protective storage unit may be in a retrievable fixed unit or free float unit (or combined with

EPIRB
). The last 12 hours (48 Hours for the 2014 regulations MSC.333(90)) of stored data in the protected unit can be recovered and replayed by the authorities or ship owners for incident investigation. Besides the protective storage unit, the VDR system may consist of a recording control unit and a data acquisition unit, which are connected to various equipment and sensors on board a ship. The new MSC.333(90) regulations also state a minimum of 30 days of recorded data must be held internally (this could be within the recording control unit, data acquisition unit, or Main Electronics Unit depending on the manufacturers terminology).

Although the primary purpose of the VDR is for accident investigation after the fact, there can be other uses of recorded data for

preventive maintenance, performance efficiency monitoring, heavy weather damage analysis, accident avoidance and training purposes to improve safety and reduce running costs.[1]

Simplified voyage data recorder (S-VDR), as defined by the requirements of IMO Performance Standard MSC.163(78), is a lower cost simplified version VDR for small ships with only basic ship's data recorded.

Voyage data

The information recorded in the unit(s) (sometimes also called the ship's black box) may include the following information:

Data marked with * may not be recorded in S-VDR, except Radar and Echo Sounder if data and standard interfaces available.

See also

References

  1. ISBN 978-0-939837-54-0
    . The purpose of the voyage data recorder VDR is to provide accurate historical navigational data in the investigation of maritime incidents. It is additionally useful for system performance monitoring.

External links
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