Voyage data recorders (VDR) collect data from ships, process and store sensor data to give valuable information in the aftermath of a marine incident. They are essentially black boxes for the maritime industry, crafted to identify the cause of marine accidents and aid in prevention.

VDRs and S-VDRs are fitted to all vessels of 3,000 gross tonnage and upwards constructed on or after 1 July 2002. A VDR/SVDR is an electronic storage device that can be able to withstand pressures and look at here now shocks caused by marine events like sinking, collision, or fire.

The system is designed to collect information from a variety of shipboard sensors, then digitize and compress it, then store it in a secure externally mounted storage unit. The tamperproof box is designed to withstand extreme shock, impact and heat as well as pressures, that may be encountered during a maritime incident, such a collision or a fire.

Members may wish to consider upgrading their VDR/S/VDR systems to provide them with the ability to store data for longer periods. Presently, IMO performance standards only allow the VDR/SVDR to keep data for 12 hours after an incident.

A growing number of companies are now offering a “MantaDigital” S-VDR that is able to be accessed remotely similar to the way airlines’ FDR data is analyzed post-incident. This enables technical issues onboard to be detected remotely, and assists in the execution of proactive maintenance processes. Regular shore-side playbacks also support bridge teams in analyzing patterns in their performance and identifying improvements.