Home News and Resources News Loss Prevention 27 Apr, 2022 The Voyage Data Recorder (VDR) Simon Hodgkinson Global Head of Loss Prevention The Voyage Data Recorder (VDR) is an underutilised item of equipment onboard the bridge of a modern ship. Download PDF Taking statements from the crew following an incident is essential to determine causation, the sequence and timeline of events in the lead-up to it. But when drawing on human memory, it is essential to consider that the person remembers their impression of what happened, not necessarily what actually happened, especially during a stressful situation. Furthermore, crew statements from memory recall must be completed as soon after the incident as possible and before the crew talks together, since their recall of the incident can alter to fit in with what they hear from other crew members. By contrast, however, the VDR records a factual version of events, allowing for the generation of an accurate recreation to understand what led up to the incident. It is therefore vital to press the save button on the VDR after an incident to ensure that the evidence of the events is preserved. Indeed, the English High Court has made it clear in recent judgements that the failure to save the VDR data will be viewed adversely when it is relevant such as in a collision incident. Members are therefore strongly encouraged to provide training and guidance to their crew about the functioning of the VDR, the importance of evidence preservation and steps which should therefore be taken in the immediate aftermath of an incident. What is the VDR? The VDR is a device that continuously records various data points and events onboard a ship. These include the date, time, ship’s position, speed, heading, bridge audio, radar data, radio audio, ECDIS data, echo sounder, main alarms, rudder order and response, hull opening (doors) status, watertight and fire door status, speed and acceleration, hull stresses, wind speed and direction. The VDR also ha