VDR is the equivalent of a ship’s black box of an aircraft. It tracks the incidents that occur during a maritime incident which includes the time and date of an accident, location of the vessel at the time of the incident as well as its speed, direction and so on. The recorded data can be used to pinpoint possible safety risks and improve operations.
According to IMO regulations, the standard VDR is required to record various kinds of information. These include: date and time referenced to Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) as well as vessel’s location (latitude, longitude, coordinate reference) as well as speed and heading and bridge audio (acquisition of voice messages recorded by a microphone or two located on the bridge in order to record conversations and sound alarms) and VHF radio communications (VHF) and radar data (a exact replica of the radar display that was visible at the time of the recording) the rudder’s order and response, engine order and response, watertight doors and their status, as well as accelerations and hull stress.
The system comprises an encoder that processes and encodes the data stream sensors that supply input to the concentrator and the final recording medium (FRM) designed to survive incidents and enable recovery of voyage data. The FRM can be a fixed unit attached to the vessel, or a floating unit connected http://www.digitaldealdataroom.info to EPIRB to provide a quick location in the event of an accident.
The best way to be sure that a vdr is working properly is to include its use in all bridge crew drills and training exercises. The data saved can be used to determine areas that require training and to enhance bridge procedures and operational safety.
