VDR is the equivalent of a black box in an aircraft. It captures all the information about a maritime accident, including the time, date and location, speed, and the course of the vessel. The data recorded can be a valuable resource for identifying safety risks and enhancing the operation of the ship.
According to IMO regulations, the standard VDR is required to record an array of information. These include the following: date and time referenced to Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) vessels’ position (latitude longitude, latitude, coordinate reference) speed and heading as well as bridge audio (acquisition of voice messages recorded by one or more microphones located on the bridge in order to record conversations and audible alarms) and Very High Frequency radio communications (VHF) and radar information (a faithful replica of the display which was in view at the time of the recording) as well as rudder order and response engine order and reaction as well as watertight doors and their status, as well as the hull’s accelerations and stresses.
The system is composed of a concentrator, which encodes and processes data streams, sensors that send data to the concentrator and a final recording media (FRM) which can withstand http://www.digitaldealdataroom.info/ accidents and allow for the retrieval of the voyage data. The FRM can be a fixed unit on the vessel, or a floating unit connected to EPIRB for early location in the event of an accident.
The best way to be sure that a vdr functions correctly is to incorporate its use in every bridge crew’s drills and training exercises. The saved data can be used to pinpoint areas that require training and also to enhance bridge procedures and operational safety.