The VDR (Voyage Data Recorder), is the maritime counterpart to the black box that is used by airlines. It is typically made up of two parts comprised of a data-collection unit as well as a deck-mounted protection pod designed to withstand shock and fire, deep-sea pressure, and penetration. It is used primarily to record navigation events, but it also provides valuable data for analysis of heavy weather damage and monitoring of performance, as well as crew training.
Up-grading
Many ships equipped with VDR/SVDR satisfy the minimum requirements of regulatory compliance. However, Members are encouraged use the equipment to document near misses, conduct incident investigations and to conduct preventive maintenance. In addition, there are applications that can extend the period of time during which VDR data is accessible from the current minimum of 12 hours and a decision click to investigate needs to be made as to whether or not to upgrade to this.
The system is built on an industrial grade computer that performs a number functions, including processing and encoding data from sensors. The data is stored inside a capsule designed to stand up to an accident and provide proof of what took place on the vessel. The key components of the VDR system are a data collection unit, which is situated on the bridge, a dedicated power source, an interface unit and batteries for backup. The unit collects data from the integrated sources, including microphones to record bridge audio and transmits it to a Concentrator, where a sequence of NMEA 0183 sentence is read and encoded for transmission to the final recording media.