Voyage data recorders (VDR) collect data from ships, process and store sensor data to provide valuable insight in the aftermath of a marine incident. They are basically black boxes for the maritime industry, designed to determine the cause of a marine accidents and aid in prevention.
VDRs and S-VDRs are fitted to all vessels of at least 3,000 gross tons and up built after July 1, 2002. A VDR/SVDR is a electronic storage medium that is tamperproof encased in a capsule that is able to withstand the pressures and shocks that come with a marine incident such as fire, collision or sinking.
The system is designed to gather data from various shipboard sensors, then digitize and compress it then store it in an externally mounted protective storage unit. The tamperproof capsule is designed to withstand the extreme shock, impact, heat and pressures that could be encountered in a marine accident like a collision, or fire.
Members may wish to upgrade their VDR/SVDR systems in order they can keep information for a longer time. Currently, the IMO performance standard only requires the VDR/S/VDR to store data for a maximum of 12 hours after the incident before it’s overwritten.
A growing number of manufacturers are now offering a “MantaDigital” S-VDR which can be interrogated remotely like the way that airlines’ FDR data is analyzed post-incident. This enables technical issues onboard to be identified remotely and facilitates the implementation of proactive maintenance processes. Regular shore-side playbacks also support bridge teams in analyzing patterns in their performance and identifying opportunities http://www.digitaldealdataroom.info/ for improvement.