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Voyage Data Recorders (How to get more value from them)
Presentation to : Honourable Company of Master
Mariners
2nd September 2013
Dr Neil Baines
Managing Director
Avenca Limited
www.avenca.co.uk
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Overview
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Voyage Data Recorders (VDR’s) –
• Where are they fitted/what do they record?
• What’s the biggest secret about their use?
• What steps can be taken to overcome that challenge?
Reactive use : Post-incident Replay of Data
• Options available – e.g. on chart, with processed audio
• Merging VDR data with other data sources (e.g. AIS)
Proactive methods to get more benefit from the data –
• Training Videos
• Voyage Operations Quality Assurance (VOQA)
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Avenca – Company Background
Marine Data-Related Activities
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2001: Independent specialists: “black box” recorder data analysis
2002 : Awarded contract to survey VDRs for UK MAIB
Performed similar surveys for ECDIS and VTMS
Equipped MAIB’s VDR replay laboratory
Equipped major shipping companies’ VDR replay facilities
Won UK Dept Trade and Industry “SMART” award to research
feasibility of routine automated VDR analysis
Produced VDR “Information Resource” (MAIB/MAIIF/EMSA)
Partner on EU FP6 “EMDM” (European Marine Data Management)
project-managed WP3 - "Studies on VDRs and Electronic Logbooks”
Produced MADAS - Marine Accident Data Analysis Suite software –
in everyday use by UK MAIB, US NTSB, Norwegian, Australian,
Canadian, Dutch national authorities etc.
Incident analysis support & replay videos for operators, insurers,
law firms, investigators, consultants, police/authorities, etc….
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Voyage Data Recorders Where are they required?
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Voyage Data Recorders (VDRs) : Passenger ships and
ships other than passenger ships of 3000 gross tonnage
and upwards constructed on or after 1 July 2002 must carry
voyage data recorders (VDRs) to assist in accident
investigations, under regulations adopted in 2000, which
entered into force on 1 July 2002.
(NB – Only if on international voyages – e.g. BC Ferries Queen of the North –
sank Mar 2006 – no VDR fitted)
Simplified Voyage Data Recorders (S-VDRs): Retrofitted
to cargo ships > 3000GT. May record a subset of VDR data
if certain parameters are not readily available digitally.
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Voyage Data Recorders –
What do they measure?
A.861(20)
REF
DATA ITEM
5.4.1
Date & time
5.4.2
Ship’s position
5.4.3
Speed (through water & over ground)
5.4.4
Heading
5.4.5
Bridge Audio
5.4.6
Comms. Audio
5.4.7
Radar data- post display selection
5.4.8
Water depth
5.4.9
Main alarms
5.4.10
Rudder order & response
5.4.11
Engine order & response
5.4.12
Hull openings status
5.4.13
Watertight & fire door status
5.4.14
Acceleration & hull stresses
5.4.15
Wind speed & direction
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Voyage Data Recorders –
The Best Kept Secret….
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What’s the best kept secret about their use?
In a very large number of cases some or all of the data
they should have recorded is not available following an
incident!
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Why is no VDR Data Available
following an incident?
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Existing IMO Specification only requires that data is
retained for 12 hours before it is overwritten
If no one takes any action to save the data within 12 hours of
an incident, data relating to incident can be overwritten.
VDR not in daily use (unlike radar, ECDIS etc)
Crew may not even know where the VDR is
VDR probably not fully functional when accident occurs
Large number of VDR manufacturers and models
• 25+ manufacturers; most now on 2nd or 3rd generation model
No standardised way of saving data
Crew won’t know how to save data (or if they even need to)….
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Ensuring VDR data is available –
What to do following an accident
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Less than 12 hours since the incident –
• Check if anyone pressed the “Save button” (if fitted)
• If not – get someone to press “Save button” asap
• Note : On some VDRs, pressing “Save button” more than
once, will overwrite previously saved data!
More than 12 hours since the incident –
• Find out whether particular VDR stores more than 12 hrs data
• If not, ensure that VDR is turned off as quickly as possible
• Tip : If power is just cut off, the system will carry on recording
audio for another 2 hours.
• Look for other possible sources of digital data :
ECDIS, AIS, VTS, Machinery monitoring systems
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Ensuring VDR data is available –
Method 1- Manual Process
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1. Establish which VDRs are fitted to your fleet
Important to know :
How long is data available for? (before being overwritten)
How is data saved?
Tip – check whether saving data more than once overwrites
previously saved data.
May be complicated for large/charter-based fleets
One operator found they had 2 VDRs fitted to one ship!
2. Ensure that crew know how to save/download data
Provide uniform/simple instruction formats across fleet
Tip – include space to record details of where the electronics
cabinet key and spare recording media are stored
Carry out regular routine save and download of data
Inspect downloaded data
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Ensuring VDR data is available –
Method 2- Automated Process
Fit extended recording capability
• Small footprint
• Simple to install
Automatically stores > 30 days’ data
Ensures that data not overwritten
following incident
No chance crew “forget” to save data
May have removable media (hard disk)
May be remotely interrogated
Enables remote (automated) checking
and/or analysis of data (via internet if
available).
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What to do if the data has been
overwritten following an incident -
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Ensure that VDR is turned off as quickly as possible
• Tip - If power is just cut off, the system will carry on recording audio
for another 2 hours
Get an image made of the original recording medium
• Tip – more likely to be successful on systems with internal hard disk
(if fitted) than protective capsule, or memory cards.
Use Data Recovery techniques to try to recover data
Success rate generally low and variable
• Depends upon how data is stored, amount of free storage space, and
the time between incident occurring and recording being stopped
• Even if you recover file fragments – may not be possible to relate
them to a specific date/time.
Data Recovery can be time-consuming (and expensive)
Better to ensure data is saved correctly in the first place
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Audio – Common Problems
Cause of Problem
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Comments
Manufacturer has “mixed”
Louder signal on one mic can
microphones before recording swamp quiet signal from other mic.
Bridge wing mics mixed with
other mics
Wind noise swamps other signals
Equipment malfunction
System only checked annually.
Mics tampered with
Not seen any evidence to date
Additional noise present (e.g.
buzzer, hum, panels vibrating
etc).
Recorded signal can be
reprocessed digitally to remove
noise and enhance intelligibility
Replay software – only lets
you listen to all channels at
once; or one channel at a
time.
The audio can be replayed using
MADAS – each channel’s volume
/balance adjusted individually.
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Audio – Noise Reduction /
Signal Enhancement & Data Export
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Digital Signal
Processing
After
Before
Avenca can also supply audio as industry standard “wav” files
Facilitates transcription and/or translation on any PC
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Options for post incident replay
and analysis of VDR data
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Manufacturer’s Replay Software –
•
•
•
•
Every manufacturer has at least one replay software
Each replay software has different features (or lack of….)
Most cannot replay data on a chart
May not be able to choose different combinations of
microphones for replay
• Can only replay (manufacturer’s own) VDR data
MADAS (Marine Accident Data Analysis Suite)
• Developed by Avenca in collaboration with MAIB / NTSB
• Specifically intended for accident investigation purposes
• Functionality has increased through 5 phases of development
to date
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More Advanced Replay - MADAS
Marine Accident Data Analysis Suite
Requirement to be able to Combine and
Replay data from any VDR(s), and/or AIS,
ECDIS, VTS, or CCTV/video data.
Plot vessel(s) track(s) on charts, with
synchronised displays of radar(s), and other
measured values, multichannel audio, and/or
CCTV/video data.
To meet these requirements, Avenca
developed MADAS
System was shaped, and is now being used,
by MAIB and NTSB.
Examples (videos) of use :
•
•
•
•
Examples show the value of being able to
•
•
Cosco Busan (NTSB)
Tanker – Singapore Straits (radar overlay)
Grand Rodosi (ATSB)
Waverley (CCTV)
Plot data on chart
Merge data from two sources (e.g. VDR and
AIS/VTS, and/or video)
Video of replay can be replayed on any PC
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Proactive use of Incident Data Training Videos
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Objective – to communicate more widely the lessons
learnt from an incident
Approach – Produce a video of the data being replayed,
with additional text/graphics to highlight the salient
points/lessons learnt from the investigation.
Advantages • The video can be replayed on any standard PC anywhere…
• Communicates the message more effectively than a printed
report/safety memo.
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What next….?
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Sit back and wait for the next incident or accident to happen!
Or…..
Start to analyse your VDR data routinely
Aim : detect events or trends in the operation of the
ships which if left unchecked will • erode safety margins
• result in less economic vessel operation
Avenca has developed VOQA software to do this :
Voyage Operations Quality Assurance
Move from Reactive to Proactive use of VDR data
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What can be learnt from Aviation
Experience? – FDM / FOQA
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Approach in use by leading airlines since 1970’s
Study by Insurance Company in 1996
Hull Losses as a Percent of Total Turbine Fleet
Flight Data Recorder Users vs. U.S. vs. World
Percent
0.3
0.2
Worldwide
FDR Use < 7 yrs
0.1
Total US
FDR Use 7-14 yrs
FDR Use > 14yrs
0
76-82
83-89
Years
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90-96
Aviation : Current Status
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International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) has
made FDM a standard for all Air Transport operations
in aircraft over 27 tonnes since 1st January 2005.
They must think it’s worthwhile!
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What’s the Basis for success of
the VOQA approach??
Heinrich Safety
Pyramid
Light Box
Detecting (and hence
preventing reoccurrence
of) unreported incidents
which would lead to
accidents
Success of Approach
requires….
Accidents caused by
(preventable) human
behaviour
Are they…..???
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Distribution of Tanker Incidents
by Type : 1978-2011
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Collision/Contact/Groundings consistently ~50% of incidents
Source : Intertanko. Paper at Presentation at China Oil Transportation Safety Forum Shanghai, China - July 20, 2011.
Analysis of Tankers Accidents and the Human Element in Oil Transportation Safety
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Causes of Oil Spills > 700tonnes
from Tankers 1974-2010
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Operational
Other/unknown
Groundings
Hull failures
Collisions
Fire & Explosion
Collisions/Contact/Groundings account for 64%
Source : Intertanko. Paper at Presentation at China Oil Transportation Safety Forum Shanghai, China - July 20, 2011.
Analysis of Tankers Accidents and the Human Element in Oil Transportation Safety
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Summary : Enhanced safety by
automated analysis of VDR data
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Major causes of accidents are human-operator related
(rather than equipment failure, or weather-related).
Suitable data is recorded by the VDR to enable
automated procedures to be used to analyse the data
Sources of Safety-related analysis “rules” include :
• Company Operating Procedures/Good Practice
• Official Guidelines/Regulations
• Past Experience
Avenca’s VOQA software can use automated
procedures to routinely analyse VDR data to enhance
safety.
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VOQA Safety-Related Examples
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Avenca’s VOQA “Rules” can range from checking a single variable,
to ones which require more significant processing/fusion with other
data sources (e.g. charts, route plans etc).
Examples :
1. High Rate of Turn – Cruise ship example
2. Low depth below keel (at speed) - Tanker example
3. Detecting re-occurrence of practice which had previously caused a
grounding – Ferry example
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Safety – Related Events :
VOQA Example 1 : High ROT
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CRUISE SHIP A - TREND GRAPH - HIGH ROT EVENT
40
30
20
Value
10
0
-1 0
Speed Ov er Ground (Knots)
-2 0
Speed Throu gh Water ( Knots)
Depth (Metre s)
Rate Of Turn ( Deg/min)
-3 0
Rudd er Respo nse
-4 0
1 9:5 0:0 0
19:52:00
19:54:00
Time
19 :56 :00
19:58:00
20:0 0:00
Cruise ships – high ROT is a known safety issue
High ROT incident – company couldn’t find with replay s/w
VOQA analysis automatically found the high ROT event and
quantified it immediately!
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Safety – Related Events :
VOQA Example 2 : Depth and Speed.
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20
Value
15
10
Depth (m)
Speed over ground (knots)
Speed through water (knots)
5
0
12:45:00
12:50:00
12:55:00
13:00:00
13:05:00
13:10:00
13:15:00
13:20:00
Time
Tanker company’s manual stated that depth below
keel should not be less than 5m at normal speed.
In example low depth / high speed event > 20 minutes.
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Safety-Related Events : VOQA
Example 3 : Prop Pitch order/response
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Ideally expect
order to equal
response
Divergence
could be due to
time lag in
response of
system…?
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Safety-Related Events : VOQA Example 3 :
Prop Pitch order/response vs time
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Can now clearly
see that demand
changes rapidly
without waiting
for system to
respond.
Couldn’t easily
monitor routinely
by eye.
Need to
automatically
detect and
quantify the
problem….
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Safety-Related Events : VOQA
Example 3 : Pitch O/R “Deviation” Results
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Avenca developed a
“Response Deviation”
indicator.
Results shown for
same port on 8
consecutive voyages
for one Ro-Ro Ferry
Clear pattern in the
data
Eventually linked to
the master (A/B)
Previous grounding
due to this problem
Retraining (Master B)
successfully
organised
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In Conclusion -
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There really shouldn’t now be any excuses for VDR
data not being available following an incident.
With the right software, analysis of VDR data enables:
• Investigation of the causes of the incident
• Dissemination of the lessons learnt (e.g. using videos of
replay)
• Helping to prevent similar incidents (by pro-active monitoring
of the data on a daily basis).
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