Voyage Data Recorder News

U.S. National Transportation Safety Board chair Jennifer Homendy said at a Senate hearing Wednesday that investigators had conducted interviews with key cargo ship personnel in the investigation of the March 26 Baltimore bridge collapse.The Dali cargo ship crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge on March 26, sending it crashing into the harbor and killing six people. Work to clear the wreckage and restore traffic through the Mid-Atlantic state's shipping channel is ongoing.Homendy said investigators remained on site and had interviewed the pilots…

The cargo ship Dali knocked down three main truss spans, constructed with connected steel elements forming triangles, on the Francis Scott Key Bridge just seconds after crashing into one of the bridge piers early on Tuesday morning, March 26, 2024.The bridge collapse happened so fast that it left little time for the work crews on the bridge to escape. Civil engineers like me have been paying attention to this disaster, because we want to find ways to make infrastructure like these large bridges more resilient. For a bridge this large to collapse would require a catastrophic collision force.

The pilot of the container ship that knocked down a highway bridge into Baltimore Harbor had radioed for tugboat help and reported a power loss minutes earlier, federal safety officials said on Wednesday, citing audio from the ship's "black box" data recorder.The head of the National Transportation Safety Board also said that Francis Scott Key Bridge, a traffic artery over the harbor built in 1976, lacked structural engineering redundancies common to newer spans, making it more…

Danelec, a leader in the production of electronic equipment for the maritime industry, consolidates its market position in the Voyage Data Recorders sector with the acquisition of MacGregor's business in this field. With this investment, Danelec enhances its installed base to a total of 16,000. With the acquisition of MacGregor's Voyage Data Recorder business (VDR) including the Maritime Data Engine (MDE) Software, Danish Danelec further establishes itself as a global leader in the market for VDRs in the maritime industry.MacGregor is owned by Finnish Cargotec.

The fatal collision between the U.S. Coast Guard cutter Winslow Griesser and a small boat off the coast of Puerto Rico last year resulted from the failure of either vessel to maintain a proper lookout, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said.On August 8, 2022, the cutter Winslow Griesser and the center-console boat Desakata collided about four miles off the northern coast of Puerto Rico. The cutter, with a crew of 21, was traveling westward along the coast. The 23-foot boat, with two aboard, was heading northbound.

An interim report from an ongoing Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) investigation has detailed the sequence of events of a loaded iron ore carrier’s grounding in a channel while departing Port Hedland, Western Australia in 2022.The interim report details factual information but contains no analysis or findings.In the early hours of April 9, Liberian-flagged bulk carrier Hagen Oldendorff departed its berth at Port Hedland, with a harbour pilot onboard. About 50 minutes after departure…

Denmark-based maritime safety, data collection and ship performance monitoring company Danelec Marine reports it has completed a turnkey project from installation to commissioning of a cloud-connected ship performance monitoring solution on +120 merchant ships operated by SeaTankers Group (Frontline, Golden Ocean Group, SFL Corp, Avance Gas, FlexLNG).The solution, which combines Danelec’s Kyma Shaft Power Meter, Vessel Remote Server (VRS) and DanelecConnect maritime IoT infrastructure…

ClassNK granted its Innovation Endorsement for Products & Solutions to HermAce Remote Monitoring & Troubleshooting Platform developed by Furuno Electric Co. In addition, for ClassNK registered ships flagged with the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI), the HermAce voyage data recorder (VDR) digital twin and remote service has been accepted as an alternative to the onboard VDR Annual Performance Test (APT) by the RMI Maritime Administrator. It is now possible to conduct VDR APT remotely for those vessels.HermAce is a solution for remotely monitoring the operational status of FURUNO's navigation equipment and includes the capability to collect VDR data online.

Danelec, a provider of digital solutions for the maritime industry, has announced the introduction of two new web-based Voyage Data Recorder (VDR) services designed to provide VDR status information as well give ship managers and operators secure remote access to the VDRs onboard vessels.The VDR Monitoring Service introduces a new online health status overview of VDRs combined with reported location of vessels, while the VDR Management Service adds to this with several key new features…

Voyage data recorder (VDR) manufacturer and maritime internet of things (IoT) infrastructure provider Danelec has developed a unique, practically plug and play solution for the integration of onboard high-definition CCTV with data collected and stored by its DM100 VDRs. Called IP Video Interface (IPVI), Danelec’s new solution augments situational awareness for accident investigators and unlocks deeper operational insight for ship owner and operator management teams, as well as training organizations and instructors…

NAVTOR has teamed up with Danelec in a partnership that will help shipowners and operators translate onboard data into business value, unlocking enhanced commercial and operational decision making.The agreement will bring together the wealth of data collected by Danelec’s advanced internet-of-things (IoT) vessel infrastructure with NAVTOR’s NavFleet performance management and optimization platform. This combined collection and analytics solution will, the partners explain, allow users to empower new standards of sustainability…

Classification society Lloyd’s Register (LR) said it has granted approval in principle (AIP) to Furuno Hellas for the HermAce voyage data recorder (VDR) digital twin and remote service as an alternative to onboard annual VDR performance testing, marking the first verification of a digital twin specifically designed for this purpose.LR’s verification and subsequent approval has been recognized by the Republic of the Marshall Islands Maritime Administrator, allowing a pathway for…

Danelec Marine, a Danish Voyage Data Recorder (VDR) manufacturer and maritime Internet of Things (IoT) infrastructure provider has strengthened its global distribution network with the opening of a new Distribution Center in Houston, Texas.The facility has been established as part of Danelec’s strategy to optimize its global infrastructure, work closer to customers and reduce environmental impact, especially in the context of UN Sustainable Development Goal 13 – Climate Action.The new Distribution Center stocks complete VDR and S-VDR systems…

Wärtsilä Voyage delivered its integrated bridge and navigation solution for polar cruise vessel National Geographic Resolution. Built at Ulstein Verft shipyard, Lindblad Expeditions Holdings, Inc. took delivery of the National Geographic Resolution in September 2021. Along with its sister ship National Geographic Endurance, this is the second vessel in a series of two explorer vessels to have Ulstein signature X-BOW, the inverted bow concept combined with Wärtsilä’s integrated…

Mobile satellite communications company Inmarsat said JRC (Japan Radio Company Co. Ltd.) has joined its group of Certified Application Providers (CAP) offering applications via Inmarsat’s dedicated Fleet Connect bandwidth.The announcement follows the trial of JRC’s Smart Ship Viewer (SSV) bridge solution onboard Taiwan Navigation’s Handymax bulk carrier Tai Splendor. As a result of the trial, Taiwan Navigation has now contracted to use Fleet Connect and JRC’s Smart Ship Viewer across its eight newbuildings and eight existing vessels.“The SSV is a networked bridge and communications management solution with capabilities including ship monitoring…

Pasha Hawaii's pure car/truck carrier (PCTC) Jean Anne has received an electronics upgrade, including the replacement of her navigation system.The update was performed by Mackay Marine in Vancouver, B.C., in just under three weeks, including time for sea trial and crew training. Project Manager Ben Staggs, and installers Hamid Nayebi and Don Kamachi, handled the entire retrofit without complications, removing the older electronics and replacing them with all-new Furuno equipment.Dual X-Band FAR2228 and S-Band FAR2238S Radar ensure that the 579-foot…

Better connectivity, easier data sharing and a thriving IoT start-up scene demonstrate that maritime digitalization is flourishing according to satellite service provider Inmarsat.For many, the lasting consequence of COVID-19 may be the upheaval it brought to the familiar rhythms of daily life. Thankfully the internet enabled a semblance of routine activity to continue, as they worked from home while their children attended digital classrooms.The outbreak forced us to work together yet apart through video conferencing and collaborative online platforms…

It just might. And, you’ve got options.The Voyage Data Recorder (VDR) carriage requirements apply to all passenger ships regardless of gross tons or year of build, and to all cargo ships 3000 gross tons or larger built after 2002. A simplified VDR (S-VDR) is allowed on older ships built before 2002. The performance standard was updated in 2014. That said; a full type-approved VDR is not a requirement for inland vessels under 3,000 GT. Nevertheless, a good case to be made for installing a (less costly) data recording device on such vessels, ideally with remote access and reporting as part of an Internet of Things (IoT) solution to monitor the vessel and its installed equipment.

It just might. And, you’ve got options.The Voyage Data Recorder (VDR) carriage requirements apply to all passenger ships regardless of gross tons or year of build, and to all cargo ships 3000 gross tons or larger built after 2002. A simplified VDR (S-VDR) is allowed on older ships built before 2002. The performance standard was updated in 2014. That said; a full type-approved VDR is not a requirement for inland vessels under 3,000 GT. Nevertheless, a good case to be made for installing a (less costly) data recording device on such vessels, ideally with remote access and reporting as part of an Internet of Things (IoT) solution to monitor the vessel and its installed equipment.

Fleet Data from Inmarsat has received Approval in Principle (AiP) from leading classification society Bureau Veritas.This is a major milestone for the maritime industry’s leading secure sensor data and Internet of Things (IoT) platform. Conditions of approval by Bureau Veritas verify that Fleet Data can be installed safely on board without its operation affecting existing navigation, safety and radio communication systems.The bandwidth-inclusive platform allows ship owners and managers to take control of sensor data collected on board, pre-process, extract and aggregate it in cloud-based storage to be exploited by the operator’s own decision-making software or third party applications.

Orolia announced a partnership with Radio Holland that includes the development of a Voyage Data Recorder (VDR) specifically designed for inland shipping. This solution will be designed to enhance safe navigation and ship performance and provide tools for understanding the cause of incidents. Radio Holland will also be installing Orolia’s Netwave VDR NW6000 series as its preferred global VDR solution for retrofit and new build projects, while Orolia will use  Radio Holland’s established…

The airline industry has long employed flight data to monitor navigational and operational practices for evaluation and feedback to pilots using a system called Flight Operations Quality Assurance (FOQA). Now a similar concept is coming into the shipping industry. Danelec Marine, a well-known manufacturer of VDRs and ECDIS products, this month unveiled a new Bridge Operational Quality Assurance (BOQA) system. To learn more, we talked with Hans Ottosen, CEO of Danelec, a Danish…

Since the founding in 2016, cyber defence company Naval Dome has won awards for its Endpoint cyber defense system and achieved the highest level of security certification from classification society DNV GL, helping to protect merchant ships, cruise ships and yachts from cyber-attack.In 2019, Naval Dome optimized Endpoint with a “Dashboard” App, providing maritime users with  a clear picture of the cyber status of all critical systems on board the ship, designed to allow users…