Kongsberg Maritime Ship Systems (KMSS) has received type approval from the Greek authorities for its Maritime Black Box (MBB®) Voyage Data Recorder. The KMSS MBB® has previously received type approval in other world regions
but the latest announcement means that it can now be installed on
commercial vessels of Greek ownership.
With the majority of accidents at sea caused by human error, the Voyage Data Recorder has become an extremely important piece of onboard
equipment. The KMSS MBB® offers high-end functionality for the recording and storing of ships data in case of an incident or accident. Designed and tested to IMO and SOLAS standards, the Protected Storage Unit can withstand an extreme amount of stress, whilst the Data Control Unit (DCU) operates the entire system.
In addition to the main units, KMSS also offer a Replay and Evaluation
Unit (REU) that utilises the data collected by the PSU and DCU for training purposes. It gives users a hands on view of how real-life
situations should be dealt with and can also be used for other applications such as Radar and ECDIS image distribution, voyage reports,
engine logs and the back-up of information to CD-Rom.
On July 2, 2002 revisions to SOLAS Chapter V changed the regulations on the implementation of VDR’s on several commercial ship classes and a
current IMO feasibility study, to be completed in 2004 is working towards mandatory implementation of VDR’s on all commercial vessels.