VDR is an equivalent of a ship’s black box of an aircraft. It tracks the incidents that occur during a maritime incident that includes the date and time of an accident, location of the ship at the moment of the incident, its speed, course and more. The data gathered can be used to pinpoint dangers to safety and enhance operational procedures.

According to IMO regulations the standard VDR is required to store a wide range of information. This includes: date, time, and Coordinated Universal Time, vessel position (latitude and longitude, coordinate reference) as well as velocity and heading, audio from the bridge (voice messages recorded using one or more microphones located on the bridge for recording conversations and audio alerts) VHF, Very High-Frequency Communications (VHF), and radar information (a faithful reproduction of the display visible at the time of recording) including rudder and http://www.digitaldealdataroom.info engine orders and status of the watertight door, and accelerations.

The system is comprised of a concentrator that processes and encodes the data stream sensors that supply input to the concentrator and the final recording medium (FRM) designed to survive accidents and allow for the recovery of voyage data. The FRM can be fixed to the vessel or a floating unit linked to EPIRB to pinpoint the location of the vessel in the event of an accident.

The best way to ensure that a vdr functions correctly is to incorporate its use in all bridge crew training exercises and drills. The data saved can be used to determine areas that require training, and to enhance bridge procedures and operational security.