VDR & SVDR
Voyage data recorder, or VDR, is a data recording system designed for all vessels required to comply with the IMO's International Convention SOLAS Requirements (IMO Res.A.861(20)) in order to collect data from various sensors on board the vessel. It then digitizes, compresses and stores this information in an externally mounted protective storage unit. The protective storage unit is a tamper-proof unit designed to withstand the extreme shock, impact, pressure and heat, which could be associated with a marine incident (fire, explosion, collision, sinking, etc.).
The protective storage unit may be in a retrievable fixed unit or free float unit (or combined with EPIRB) when the ship sinks in a marine accident. The last 12 hours (48 Hours for the 2014 regulations MSC.333(90)) of stored data in the protected unit can be recovered and replayed by the authorities or ship owners for incident investigation.
Simplified voyage data recorder (S-VDR), as defined by the requirements of IMO Performance Standard MSC.163(78), is a lower cost simplified version VDR for small ships with only basic ship's data recorded.
VOYAGE DATA RECORDERS (VDR)
The next generation VDR has been designed with the combination of new real-time data display, increased storage capacity and replay software functionality, allowing the customer to review incidents.
VDRs enable accident investigators to review procedures ad instructions in the moments before an incident and help identify the cause of any accident. The new generation VDR has been designed with a combination of a new real-time data display, an increased storage capacity with a replay software function allowing the ship’s crew to investigate incidents onboard. The new VDR is compliant with the latest performance standards and technical requirements as defined in MSC.333(90) and IEC 61996-1 Ed. 2.
AMI manufacture one of the most compact and reliable VDR/s-VDR systems in the world. It has been designing VDR systems since 2001 and its latest version, the VR2272B, is type approved Qinetiq and has received the coveted Wheel Mark standard.
For ships under 3,000gt and those not required to carry a voyage data recorder, the X-VHFR VHF voice recorder provides a cost effective means of recording VHF communications and vessel position at any given time.
