THE ASSEMBLY,
RECALLING
Article 15(j) of the Convention on the International Maritime Organization concerning
the functions of the Assembly in relation to regulations and guidelines concerning
maritime safety,
RECALLING ALSO that, by
resolution 12, the Conference of Contracting Governments to the International
Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS), 1974, being of the opinion that it
would be desirable that ships, in particular passenger ships, be fitted with voyage
data recorders (VDRs) to assist in investigations into casualties, requested the
Maritime Safety Committee to develop, as a matter of urgency, operational requirements
and performance standards for such recorders, taking into account any potential human
element implications,
NOTING that consideration is
being given to the development of carriage requirements for VDRs for inclusion in the
SOLAS Convention at the earliest opportunity,
HAVING CONSIDERED the recommendations made by the Maritime Safety Committee at its
sixty-eighth session and by the Sub-Committee on Safety of Navigation at its
forty-third session,
1. ADOPTS the Recommendation
on Performance Standards for Shipborne Voyage Data Recorders (VDRs), set out in the
annex to the present resolution;
2. INVITES
Governments to encourage shipowners and operators of ships entitled to fly their flag
to install VDRs on such ships, as soon as possible, especially considering that the
carriage of VDRs may soon be made mandatory under the SOLAS Convention;
3. RECOMMENDS Governments to ensure that VDRs
installed on board ships flying their flag conform to performance standards not
inferior to those specified in the Annex to this resolution;
4. REQUESTS the Maritime Safety Committee to keep these Performance
Standards under review and to adopt amendments thereto, as necessary.
1 Purpose
The purpose of a voyage data recorder (VDR) is to maintain a
store, in a secure and retrievable form, of information concerning the position,
movement, physical status, command and control of a vessel over the period leading
up to and following an incident having an impact thereon. Information contained in a
VDR should be made available to both the Administration and the shipowner. This
information is for use during any subsequent investigation to identify the cause(s)
of the incident.
2 Application
A VDR with capabilities not inferior to those defined in these
performance standards is required to be fitted to ships of classes defined in SOLAS
chapter V, as amended.
3 References
3.1 SOLAS:
- 1995 SOLAS Conference, resolution
12.
3.2 IMO resolutions:
- A.662(16) Performance
standards for float-free release and activation arrangements for emergency radio
equipment
- A.694(17) General requirements for shipborne radio equipment
forming Part of the GMDSS and for electronic navigational aids
-
A.824(19) Performance Standards for devices to indicate speed and
distance
- A.830(19) Code on alarms and Indicators, 1995
-
MSC.64(67), Performance Standard for heading control Systems annex 3
-
MSC.64(67), Performance Standards for radar Equipment, as amended annex
4
4 Definitions
4.1 Voyage data recorder (VDR) means a complete system,
including any items required to interface with the sources of input data, for
processing and encoding the data, the final recording medium in its capsule, the
power supply and dedicated reserve power source.
4.2 Sensor means any unit external to the VDR, to which the VDR is
connected and from which it obtains data to be recorded.
4.3 Final recording medium means the item of hardware on
which the data is recorded such that access to it would enable the data to be
recovered and played back by use of suitable equipment.
4.4 Playback equipment means the equipment, compatible with
the recording medium and the format used during recording, employed for recovering
the data. It includes also the display or presentation hardware and software that is
appropriate to the original data source equipment.*
4.5 Dedicated reserve power source means a secondary battery,
with suitable automatic charging arrangements, dedicated solely to the VDR, of
sufficient capacity to operate it as required by 5.3.2.
* Playback equipment is not normally installed on a ship and is not regarded as
part of a VDR for the purposes of these performance standards. 5 Operational requirements
5.1 General
5.1.1 The VDR should continuously
maintain sequential records of preselected data items relating to the status and
output of the ship's equipment, and command and control of the ship, referred to in
5.4.
5.1.2 To permit subsequent analysis
of factors surrounding an incident, the method of recording should ensure that the
various data items can be co-related in date and time during playback on suitable
equipment.
5.1.3 The final recording
medium should be installed in a protective capsule which should meet all of the
following requirements:
.1 be capable of being accessed
following an incident but secure against tampering;
.2
maximize the probability of survival and recovery of the final recorded data after
any incident;
.3 be of a highly visible colour and marked
with retro-reflective materials; and
.4 be fitted with an
appropriate device to aid location.
5.1.4
The design and construction, which should be in accordance with the requirements of
resolution A.694(17) and international standards acceptable to the Organization*,
should take special account of the requirements for data security and continuity of
operation as detailed in 5.2 and 5.3.
5.2
Data selection and security
5.2.1 The minimum selections of data
items to be recorded by the VDR are specified in 5.4. Optionally, additional items
may be recorded provided that the requirements for the recording and storage of the
specified selections are not compromised.
5.2.2 The equipment should be so designed that, as far as is practical,
it is not possible to tamper with the selection of data being input to the
equipment, the data itself nor that which has already been recorded. Any attempt to
interfere with the integrity of the data or the recording should be recorded.
5.2.3 The recording method should be such
that each item of the recorded data is checked for integrity and an alarm given if a
non-correctable error is detected.
5.3
Continuity of operation
5.3.1 To ensure that the VDR continues to
record events during an incident, it should be capable of operating from the ship's
emergency source of electrical power.
5.3.2 If the ship's emergency source of electrical power supply fails,
the VDR should continue to record Bridge Audio (see 5.4.5) from a dedicated reserve
source of power for a period of 2 h. At the end of this 2 h period all recording
should cease automatically.
5.3.3
Recording should be continuous unless interrupted briefly in accordance with 6 or
terminated in accordance with 5.3.2. The time for which all stored data items are
retained should be at least 12 h. Data items which are older than this may be
overwritten with new data.
5.4 Data items to
be recorded
5.4.1 Date and time
Date and time, referenced to UTC, should be obtained from a source
external to the ship or from an internal clock. The recording should indicate which
source is in use. The recording method should be such that the timing of all other
recorded data items can be derived on playback with a resolution sufficient to
reconstruct the history of the incident in detail.
5.4.2 Ship's position
Latitude and longitude, and the datum used, should be derived from
an electronic position-fixing system (EPFS). The recording should ensure that the
identity and status of the EPFS can always be determined on playback.
5.4.3 Speed
Speed through the water or speed over the ground, including an
indication of which it is, derived from the ship's speed and distance measuring
equipment.
5.4.4 Heading
As indicated by the ship's compass.
5.4.5 Bridge Audio
One or more microphones positioned on the bridge should be placed
so that conversation at or near the conning stations, radar displays, chart tables,
etc., are adequately recorded. As far as practicable, the positioning of microphones
should also capture intercom, public address systems and audible alarms on the
bridge.
5.4.6 Communications audio
VHF communications relating to ship operations should be recorded.
5.4.7 Radar data, post-display
selection
This should include electronic signal information from within one
of the ship's radar installations which records all the information which was
actually being presented on the master display of that radar at the time of
recording. This should include any range rings or markers, bearing markers,
electronic plotting symbols, radar maps, whatever parts of the SENC or other
electronic chart or map that were selected, the voyage plan, navigational data,
navigational alarms and the radar status data that were visible on the display. The
recording method should be such that, on playback, it is possible to present a
faithful replica of the entire radar display that was on view at the time of
recording, albeit within the limitations of any bandwidth compression techniques
that are essential to the working of the VDR.
5.4.8 Echo sounder
This should include depth under keel, the depth scale currently
being displayed and other status information where available.
5.4.9 Main alarms
This should include the status of all mandatory alarms on the
bridge.
5.4.10 Rudder order and response
This should include status and settings of auto-pilot if fitted.
5.4.11 Engine order and response
This should include the positions of any engine telegraphs or
direct engine/propeller controls and feedback indications, if fitted, including
ahead/astern indicators. This should also include status of bow thrusters if fitted.
5.4.12 Hull openings status
This should include all mandatory status information required to
be displayed on the bridge.
5.4.13 Watertight
and fire door status
This should include all mandatory status information required to
be displayed on the bridge.
5.4.14
Accelerations and hull stresses
Where a ship is fitted with hull stress and response monitoring
equipment, all the data items that have been pre-selected within that equipment
should be recorded.
5.4.15 Wind speed and
direction
This should be applicable where a ship is fitted with a suitable
sensor. Either relative or true wind speed and direction may be recorded, but an
indication of which it is should be recorded.
* Refer to publication IEC 945-Maritime navigation and radiocommunication
equipment and systems - General requirements, methods of testing and required test
results. 6 Operation
The unit should be entirely automatic in normal operation.
Means should be provided whereby recorded data may be saved by an appropriate method
following an incident, with minimal interruption to the recording process.
7 Interfacing
Interfacing to the various sensors required should be in
accordance with the relevant international interface standard, where possible. Any
connection to any item of the ship's equipment should be such that the operation of
that equipment suffers no deterioration, even if the VDR system develops
faults.
8 Ergonomics
8.1 The following functions should be directly
accessible and immediately effected:
-
On-/off-switch
- Gain
- Monitor brilliance
-
Presentation made
- Tuning (if manual)
- Anticlutter sea
- Range selection
- Variable
range marker
- Anticlutter rain
- Maker (cursor)
-
Electronic bearing line
- Dimmer for panel
illumination
8.2 The following functions
should be continuously variable or in small, quasi-analogue steps:
- Monitor brilliance
-
Anticlutter sea
- Tuning (if manual)
- Variable range marker
- Anticlutter rain
- Maker
(cursor)
- Electronic bearing line
- Gain
8.3 The settings of the following functions should be readable in all
light condition:
- Dimmer for panel illumination
- Tuning (if manual)
- Gain
- Anticlutter rain
- Anticlutter sea
- Monitor brilliance
8.4
for the following functions additional automatic adjustment may be provided. The use
of the automatic mode be indicated to the operator and be capable of being switched
off:
- Monitorbrilliance
- Gain
- Anticlutter rain
- Anticlutter sea
8.5 If discrete controls are available for the EBL and VRM
they should be situated on the left and right hand side respectively.
8 Download and playback equipment for investigation authorities
8 - Download and playback equipment for investigation
authorities
8.1 Data Output Interface
8.1 -Data output interface
The VDR should provide an interface for downloading the stored data and
playback the information to an external computer. The interface
should be compatible with an internationally recognized format, such as
Ethernet, USB, FireWire, or equivalent.
8.2 Software For Data Downloading And Playback
8.2 - Software For Data Downloading And Playback
8.2.1 A copy of the software programme providing the
capability to download the stored data and playback the information onto a
connected external laptop computer and for the playback of the data should be
provided for each VDR installation.
8.2.2 The software should be compatible with an
operating system available with commercial-off-the-shelf laptop
computers and provided on a portable storage device such as a CD-ROM,
DVD, USB-memory stick, etc.
8.2.3 Instructions for executing the software and for
connecting the external laptop computer to the VDR should be provided.
8.2.4 The portable storage device containing the
software, the instructions and any special (not commercial-off-the-shelf)
parts necessary for the physical connection of the external laptop computer,
should be stored within the main unit of the VDR.
8.2.5 Where non-standard or proprietary formats are
used for storing the data in the VDR, the software for converting
the stored data into open industry standard formats should be provided
on the portable storage device or resident in the VDR."