The VDR (Voyage Data Recorder) is the maritime equivalent of the black box that is used by airlines. The system is usually two-part and consists of an data collection unit that is attached to a protective capsule mounted on deck designed to withstand fire, deep sea pressure and shock, as well as penetration. It is used to capture incidents of navigation, but it can also provide valuable information to assess damage during heavy weather and monitoring performance as well as crew training.
Up-grading
Many ships equipped with VDR/SVDR technology meet the minimum requirements of regulatory compliance however, Members are urged to think about using the equipment to investigate incidents as well as preventive maintenance and bridge team training, as and for recording near misses. Additionally, there are applications that can increase the amount of duration for which VDR data is accessible from the current 12 hour minimum and a choice should be made as to whether or not to upgrade to this.
The system is built around an industrial grade computer that performs various functions, including processing and encoding data received from the sensors. The capsule is designed to withstand any disaster and keep the data. The VDR system is made up of the data collection device that is located on the bridge, as also a dedicated power supply and interface unit, and backup batteries. The unit collects data from integrated sources, including microphones to record bridge audio, and then sends it to a Concentrator, which is where a string of NMEA 0183 sentence is read and encoded for transmission to the final recording media.