SYMPOSIA

Workshop Type: Interactive Workshop

Moderator: NTSB - Marjorie Murtagh, Director, Office of Marine Safety

Topic: Practical aspects of safeguarding and retrieval of VDR-type data aboard vessels

• Non-VDR equipped vessels: data recognition, protection and retrieval; a protocol for success
• Available data: "black box" data vs. other recorded data
• Required hardware/software for data retrieval
• Practical aspects of retrofitting data recorders aboard existing vessels

Representatives to include the following:

• Recorder Manufacturer

  Rutter Technologies, Inc. - Byron Dawe

  Biography

  Byron Dawe is President of Rutter Technologies Inc., a voyage data recorder manufacturer. He has 25 years experience in marine-related high technology research and product development and commercialization. He has worked in many diversified areas relevant to marine technology. He has extensive experience in regard to ship operations and has significant sea time.

  Byron Dawe has a Bachelor's (Electrical) and Master's Degree in Engineering. He is a registered professional engineer and a member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc. Mr. Dawe was an active member of IEC Working 11, the group tasked to develop the testing standard for VDR's. He is also an advisor to the Canadian Government on IMO issues related to VDR's.

• Recorder/Integrated Bridge Systems Manufacturer

  Sperry Marine - Tom King

  Biography

  Thomas A. King, Director Strategic Business Unit, Marine Information Systems, Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems, Sperry Marine has held sales, marketing and business unit positions at Sperry Marine during the past sixteen years. A graduate of the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, King's other experiences include a seagoing career as a licensed deck officer, ship operations and chartering

• Integrated Bridge Systems Manufacturer

  Japan Radio Company - Atsushi Shimojima, Chief Sales and Marketing Engineer, Business Planning, Marine Electronics Div.

  Biography

  After graduating the Navigation course at the Tokyo University of Mercantile Marine, in 1989, I joined the engineering department of Japan Radio Co.; I began developing software for GMDSS, IBS and VDR equipment. From 1989 to 1993, I developed International and Japanese Navtex receiver and broadcasting system. From 1994 to 1998, I developed the IBS network system and conning display. Then from 1999 to 2002, I developed JRC's VDR system. I proposed the digital interface requirement for IEC61162-1/2 Part-102 to ease the interface with the automation, rudder control systems. My main study of development in JRC is on the data network and interface in ship-borne and ship-and-shore communications.

• Integrated Bridge Systems Manufacturer

  Japan Radio Company - Dennis Hogan, National Sales Manager, High Seas

  Biography

  Dennis Hogan, National Sales Manager, High Seas Products, Japan Radio Co., Ltd., USA Inc.

  Japan Radio Co., Ltd., founded in 1915, provides quality products that perform with a high degree of reliability. JRC Marine Electronic Division, is a leader in the manufacture and design of Integrated Bridge Systems, Radar, ECDIS, Speed Logs, Echo Sounders, VHF, MF/HF, Inmarsat, GPS/DGPS, GPS Compass, EPIRB, SART, Navtex, AIS, VDR, and Weatherfax Marine Electronic Systems.

  Dennis has been in the marine field for 29 years employed by Sperry Marine, Kongsberg North America, Raytheon Marine and JRC, and owner of Nav-Control, Inc. and Marisoft LLC. As National Sales Manager for JRC, responsibilities include all Commercial Marketing and Sales activities in North and Central America.

• Vessel Fleet Operations Manager

  Norwegian Cruise Lines - Orient Lines, Captain Minas Myrtidis, Superintendent Nautical Operations

  Biography

  Captain Minas Myrtidis is a graduate of the Greek Maritime Academy and he holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Maritime Business & Marine Transportation, and a Master Mariner's license. He is a USCG, certified Bridge and Crew Recourse Management Instructor and in 1998 he received his airplane pilot license from COMAIR Academy in Florida.

  He served as a Lieutenant in the Greek Navy until his discharge in 1984 and then he worked with several cargo and tanker shipping companies. In 1989 he transitioned to the cruise industry and he worked with Royal Cruise Line, Celebrity Cruises and Royal Caribbean International, where he served as Captain from 1993 to 2000.

  In June of 2000 joined Norwegian Cruise Line as Superintendent of Nautical Operations and in September of 2002 he assumed the role of the Designated Person for NCL and Orient Lines.

  Current responsibilities include the development and implementation of Navigation Procedures, safety of navigation, and monitoring of the safety and environmental aspects of the Company as defined by the International Safety Management Code.

• Transportation Regulatory Authority/Marine Accident Investigator

  Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) - Nick Beer

  Biography

  Nick Beer is a Principal Inspector with the UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB). He spent twenty-seven years in the Merchant Navy, twenty-two of which were on UK Government Antarctic research vessels where he was a ship's master. He joined MAIB in 1994 and since then has investigated over 60 major marine accidents including a number where recorded data became crucial evidence. He leads MAIB's representation on VDR's on UK and International committees and is presently developing the Branch's capability to retrieve, playback and analyse VDR data.

• Data Retrieval Equipment Manufacturer

  Transas Marine USA - Neil Bennett

  Biography

  Neil Bennett
  Sales and Commercial Director, Transas Marine USA Inc.

  Transas Marine is a leading supplier of Marine software solutions to the Maritime Industry, including Navigation, Simulation, Vessel Traffic, Telematics, and Maritime Security Systems. Transas Marine is a recognized leader in Electronic Chart Display Information Systems (ECDIS), Marine Cartography, and has provided full mission and PC based simulator systems to many of the largest maritime training institutions in the World.

  Neil is responsible for Sales and Commercial activities for all product areas at the Transas Marine USA hub, covering the USA, Canada, Central and South America. Neil has an unlimited Master Mariner's license and has extensive shipboard experience aboard a variety of vessels, most recently in the Cruise Ship sector.

  Transas Marine is currently investigating development of visual playback facilities combining data from Marine ECDIS and Voyage Data Recorders, with the latest simulation visualization and math modeling tools, to create a comprehensive visual analysis and research tool for investigation of marine incidents.

Topic Areas:

• Sources of possible 'recorded/memory resident' data on bridge equipment on Non-VDR type vessels.
1. What are the types of devices that create data that may be preserved on vessels without VDRs:

   Time:	UTC, GMT, local
   Date and time:	GPS current and historical data
   Ship's position:	ECDIS, GPS (IBS), L/L
   Speed:	ECDIS, Electronic charting, IBS, GPS, speed log, bell log
   Heading:	ECDIS, Course recorder (paper), gyro compass
   Bridge audio:	Microphones, recorder system
   Comms. Audio:	VHF radiotelephone
   Radar data:	Nothing historical, PC based radar. Nav. lines
   Echo sounder:	Strip chart
   Main alarms (fire, general, depends on class requirement, IMO 61997, 61996, mandatory
   Fire:	Fire alarm recording system
   Engineroom:	Engineering monitoring and control data
   Rudder order and response:	None, analog
   Bow and stern thrusters:	None, analog, electrical meters
   Engine order and response:	bell logger
   Hull opening status:	None, possible a light indicator
   Watertight and fire door status:	None, indicator lights
   Accelerations and hull stresses:	IMO/Class requirements (i.e. bulk carriers)
   Wind speed and direction:	Anemometer, electrical meter, analog
   Weather	Weather service, paper fax

   No consistency in what is found on vessels. No requirement for recording data or standardized format, as you would find feeding a VDR, IBS, ECDIS or AIS.

2. As the state of the art in integrated bridge systems and engine control monitoring systems (radar, GPS, electronic charting systems, etc.) makes more use of internal memory storage (volatile and non-volatile), there will be an opportunity to access and retrieve this information. What bridge systems now store information in memory?
• IBS, ECDIS
• Audio recording system, if installed
• Fire alarm, internal recording system if provided
• Engineering control, paper tape if provided
3. What types of bridge systems are in use today that capture, store and relay data to shore side operators while the vessel is underway?
• Less than 1% of vessels at sea have an installed system that transmits data to shore side.
• Selected parameters can be manually/automatically transmitted to shore for operational purposes.
4. What is the growth trend in this type of management oversight of a vessel's underway operation?
• Not discussed
5. Stand alone PCs (bridge/engine control room)
• Typically will store data on a hard disk that can be downloaded or the disk removed
6. Stability computers
• Typically will store data on a hard disk that can be downloaded or the disk removed
7. Digital select calling marine telephones
• Not discussed
8. AIS, EPIRBs, GMDSS
• AIS and EPIRBs do not store data
9. Pilot portable equipment that may either transmits data or captures data.
• Not discussed
10. Hand held owner-supplied equipment.
• Capable of creating and storing navigation information (i.e. HP Navigator, Palm Pilot, GPS, Cell phones (newer units can take pictures)
11. What other types of recording/memory medium presently used to store data that may be of interest to accident investigators?
• Flash memory
• Tape
• Hard disks
• Shore side VTS
• Coast Guard DVLs
• VDR on another vessel in recording area

• Measures necessary to preserve memory resident data following an incident.

1. Does IMO have a standard/protocol on the preservation and retrieval of vessel data following an accident?
• No
2. What are the existing guidelines to a vessel's crew concerning the operation of bridge equipment that may have memory resident data following an accident?
3. Does periodic testing of this equipment include checking the integrity of memory devices?
4. Are crewmembers capable of retrieving pertinent (accident-related) data from vessel's existing equipment? Skills, knowledge, experience, etc?
5. How should memory devices that are potentially damaged by smoke/fire/water be handled?
6. How should memory devices that are submerged in water (salt/fresh) be handled?
7. Contingency plans to identify companies that have expertise/skill in retrieving data from memory storage devices that have been damaged by smoke/fire or submerged in water?
• Transus will respond to an owner's request to extract data from their installed equipment.
8. How does NTSB aviation/railroad accident investigators handle memory recording devices (CVRs, FDRs, event recorders, etc.,) that have been damaged by smoke/fire/water or have been submerged in water?
• Aviation: CVR/FDR handbook
• Railroad: 49CFR 229.5, 229.25 and 229.135
9. Can the owner/operator (shore side) generally provide the specifications of installed bridge/engine room electronic equipment that would be useful in trying to determine if there is a memory resident device(s) installed?
• New construction shipyard may also be a source of data on equipment specifications

• Down loaders tool bag for data retrieval

1. How can memory resident data be captured and saved?
• Software tools
• Publicly available software
• No public domain generic software available to download data.
• Private/commercial software that would need to be purchased.
• 13 different types of manufacturer proprietary software on the market
• Parameter database.
• Hardware needed
2. Will the amount of stored data fit on a floppy, CD, or is an independent memory drive required at the site of the investigation or accident? Picture file from a radar is a large MB file
3. Is it reasonable for a marine accident investigator to try to retrieve memory resident data?
   • What skills would he need?
   • Computer, software configuration. Configuration files. Manufacturer playback software for each type of equipment found on vessels. 13 different types
   • What experience would he need?
   • Specific knowledge and use of manufacturer type software
   • Could he possibly carry enough of the right equipment?
4. What capabilities do NTSB data specialist (Office of Research and Engineering) have in retrieving /preserving data if they are sent to the accident site?

• Developing an accident investigation protocol for data recognition, protection and retrieval from bridge equipment on Non-VDR type vessels

1. First things first. Tasks in order of importance
2. Manufacturer specialist, NTSB Office of Research and Engineering data technicians, or generalist
3. Who calls in the equipment owner/manufacturer?
   • Shipyard may have experience of what equipment is installed on a vessel. They decide vice the owner. Owner may not readily know.
4. What crew action is necessary to keep the data 'alive and intact?
5. Damaged/submerged memory resident devices; protocol for preservation and retrieval

• Practical considerations in the installation of VDR type equipment on existing cargo vessels

1. Does state of the art bridge equipment (radar, GPS, electronic charting systems, etc.) come pre-fitted with the connections needed to link to a VDR?
• Yes most new construction and equipment design is preconfigured to be connected to a VDR, ECDIS, IBS, AIS, etc.
• There are a minimum number of interface standards, (IEC 61162, NMEA, etc.)
• Only a finite population of interface devices and type of connection. Only a problem for a start up VRD manufacturer
• IEC 61162\Interface costs not a technical or cost issue. Standard set of interface solutions. Data acquisition units
• No IMO standard on standardizing interfaces or exemptions for older vessels.
2. Type of recorder; VDR or S-VDR; fixed or float free:
• Similar problems but fewer interface connections. Interface problems are not challenging nor the most costly item in the installation of a VDR
• IMO papers: Japan, Germany, US, UK, Correspondence Group
• EU carriage requirement: 2007 20k tons and above, 2008 3k tons and above; will require VDR-S
• 99% of vessel accidents d/n involve damage to vessel to the extent that the VDR is damaged. No containment. Just media. Quick adoption of a standard for existing cargo vessels.
• Interface and containment cost are only about 15-25% of costs
• $10,000 interface costs; $10,000 containment cost; cost memory 75-85% of unit. To significantly reduce the cost of a VDR consider switching from solid-state memory to a disk drive PC type configuration, robust, off the shelf
• Fixed or float free as installed on existing vessels: Not an issue due to the high cost of meeting a float free standard. Float free not required for new installations. IES would need to reconvene to develop a new performance standard. 3/5 years before a float free performance standard would be available.
3. Progress on technical feasibility of adding a VDR to an existing vessel (Already required on certain classes of existing vessels; i.e. passenger, Ro/Ro,).
• Analog versus digital
• Minimal interface challenge. Because of the conversion requirements for certain types of existing vessels most of the interface problems have been solved. Some bridge equipment can not be converted (i.e. certain types of non-raster radars)
• Vessel type of service
• Check IMO requirements on alarms, recordings, etc.
• Age of vessel
• Could be a problem with certain 15+ year old radars.
• IBS vs. pre IBS: IBS will already integrate data from various devices and is much more adaptable to installing a VDR.
• Route (inland vs. international)
• Not an issue as far a adding a VDR to an existing vessel.
• Cost
• Most significant facture affecting acceptance of VDRs on existing vessels.
• Insensitive to volume, no economy of scale
• Reducing the number of parameters recorded will not significantly reduce the cost of a VDR.
4. What bridge equipment would have to be replaced because it could not be linked to a recording device?
• 15,000 existing vessels getting older and going out of service.
• Exemption versus upgrading to a device that has a standard signal. Non-raster radars, older echo sounders, etc.
5. What data is really needed from an existing vessel if you cannot have everything?
• AIS: Vessel ID, L/L, course, speed, cargo. Rutter VDRs are capable of recording incoming AIS data.
6. Would AIS plus an audio recording of bridge conversations provide enough data from an existing cargo type vessel?
• 80% of Canadian vessels on the Great Lakes carry ECDIS and AIS
• Why radar, then? Much more information above and beyond AIS. Most vessels are not required to be fitted with AIS, but will be fited with an ARPA capable radar. Inland radars on smaller vessels may not be ARPA type radars
7. IMO prepared papers:
• Germany/Netherlands; provide cost effective simplified VDR capturing:
• Bridge audio
• Comms
• Position
• Speed
• Heading
• Date/Time
• AIS
• Additional data available through IEC 61162 interface
• Modified protection for data
• Japan; difficulties of using the float free requirement
• US: Cost of recovery of similar to aviation recovery of CVR/FDR.

Table of Seagoing Vessel Electronic Information Data Storage/Retrieval Capability

¹Assumes VDR capable of capturing AIS incoming data.
²Assumes S-VDR does not record incoming AIS data. Any additional data items should be recorded when the data is available in standard format
³Ship's drafts, hazardous cargos, destination and ETA. Routing plan (optional)
⁴Vessel call sign, name, IMO #, dimensions, type
⁵If radar data cannot be recorded, then AIS target data should be recorded. If radar data is recorded, AIS information may be recorded, additionally
⁶Assumes vessel of interest is within VTS shore side radar range.
⁷Certain bulk carriers.
⁸Certain bulk carriers.
⁹Certain bulk carriers.
¹⁰Certain bulk carriers.
¹¹AIS is not a recording system, i.e. no memory retention.