Articles on S-VDR

A NEED TO KNOW - Lloyds List

A powerful tool to ensure fairness in the event of an accident.

The Voyage Data Recorder is far removed from the “spy on the bridge” which made navigators suspicious of them when they were first introduced on a voluntary basis on ferries, passenger ships and some other vessels in the 1980s.

One has only to study the court transcripts of any collision or grounding case where the ships involved were not so fitted to realise one powerful argument for fitting VDRs to all ships. Endless arguments about “bell books”, accusations of about conflicting recollections; meat and drink for lawyers, but a clear sense that there really ought to be a better way of resolving these disputes.

And VDRs, which have become more compact, cheaper and a good deal more sophisticated, can pay their way, and not merely for their evident benefits. Those who employ them derive useful performance, information from their equipment, which directly benefits the bottom line.

But best of all, VDRs ought to be a powerful weapon in ensuring that there is fairness and justice after a marine incident.

All too often, one suspects, blameless seafarers have their careers ruined because of the niceties of the law and the habits of judges who apportion blame in a way that professionals often find baffling. The ability to replay an accident will remove so much of the doubts as to what actually happened.