WHITE PAPER ON VDRConnect REMOTE ACCESS SOLUTION

DNL0005601.07.2015

Danelec systemsSolid • Safe • Simple

The transportation industry is undergoing a technologi-

cal transformation with the deployment of telematics

solutions that provide real-time access to data from

mobile platforms. To a large extent, this revolution has

been driven by the proliferation of high-speed wireless

connectivity, making it easy and cost-e�ective to transmit

data to and from vehicles on the move.

The maritime industry has been slow to embrace

telematics technology. That is mainly because ships on the

high seas are beyond the reach of high-speed wireless

links. Marine satellite networks are limited in bandwidth,

and air time is expensive. Thus, the starting point for a

ship telematics solution is bridging the data gap. This

means providing ship operating companies access to good

source data from their vessels as close to real-time as

possible, at a reasonable cost.

This is not an easy task. Gathering and processing data

from multiple shipboard sensors and systems can be

complex and expensive. It involves running cables and/or

setting up Wi-Fi connections with devices installed all over

the ship. Some of them may be virtually inaccessible.

Many may be 10 or more years old. While the marine

electronics community is starting to standardize on NMEA

serial data formats, many legacy devices may have their

own proprietary output formats and di�erent types of

input/output ports. That can mean lots of custom interfac-

es and external data conditioning devices. Outputs from all

these sources must be fed into a data acquisition unit and

computer, which sorts through the data, stores it and

converts it into a format that can be transmitted through

satellite channels to a shore o�ce.

There are a growing number of specialist marine data

analytics companies with sophisticated capabilities for

optimizing vessel performance and e�ciency, but these

companies do not typically have the expertise to install

complicated shipboard systems. Moreover, they do not

have the worldwide service network in place to service the

hardware at ports

around the globe.

Ideally, they would

prefer to receive the

data and do what they do best – analyze and recommend

measures to increase the ship’s performance, reduce

operating costs and improve e�ciency – and have some-

one else look after the shipboard hardware and software.

Fortunately, there is a solution at hand in the form of the

ship’s Voyage Data Recorder (VDR). If properly designed

with selective remote access functionality, the VDR can

become the centerpiece of a ship data collection network.

VDRConnect Bridges the Data Gap White paper on VDR remote access solution

BackgroundThe tragic sinking of the M/V Estonia with the loss of over

800 lives in 1994 triggered a movement within the maritime

industry for mandatory fitting of “black box” devices on

ships - similar to the flight data and voice recorders on

commercial aircraft. Accordingly, the International Maritime

Organization (IMO) adopted Resolution A.861 (20) in May

1999 establishing a VDR carriage requirement and dead-

lines for installation. The IMO rules were amended in 2005

to permit older ships built before July 1, 2002 to be

equipped with a simplified VDR (S-VDR) instead of a full VDR.

In 2012 the IMO adopted a new VDR specification, estab-

lishing additional requirements: a float-free capsule as well

as a fixed capsule, 48 hours protected data storage in both

capsules, 30 days unprotected memory in the VDR, at least

two tracks for bridge audio, images from two radars and

ECDIS, and data from the AIS. This new IMO standard came

into force July 1, 2014. Since that date, all new VDR installa-

tions must comply with the new standard.

Currently, all passenger ships and cargo ships over 3,000

gross tons built after July 1, 2002 must be fitted with a

type-approved VDR. Cargo ships over 3,000 gross tons

constructed before July 1, 2002, may meet the carriage

requirement with an S-VDR.

Why VDR?While the primary mission of the VDR is to record data for

accident investigation, there is a strong case to be made

for giving it a secondary role as the data hub for a

shipboard telematics system.

• The VDR is widespread. Every ship over 3,000 gross

tons built since 2002 is required to have an operational

type-approved VDR on board, and it is a very e�cient

data collection device already gathering and storing

much valuable data aboard the ship.

• The VDR is underutilized. The design function of a VDR

is to gather important safety information from certain

designated onboard systems. This data is stored until

needed for an accident or incident investigation (48

hours in the capsules, 30 days in the VDR). Some of this

data – position, speed and heading, depth, rudder order

and response, engine order and response, wind speed

and direction and main alarms – if made available in

near real-time, could also have commercial value to

help optimize vessel e�ciency and performance when

combined with key performance indicators from other

sources, such as fuel flow meters, engine RPMs, engine

temperatures, emission measuring devices, weather

instruments and other data points. There is no reason a

VDR cannot be designed and programmed to accept

data from other non-mandatory sources.

• The VDR is a low-cost, low-risk solution. Using the

VDR as a central data collection point and clearing

house would greatly reduce the cost of installing and

maintaining a dedicated data network with data cables

and/or Wi-Fi connections with numerous items of

equipment throughout the ship. Significantly, the major

VDR manufacturers also have a worldwide service

capability to conduct the mandatory annual perfor-

mance tests and service the systems at ports around

the globe.

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DATASTREAM

COLLECT SELECT TRANSFER

SolutionThis capability is now available to the maritime industry. In

2014 Danelec Marine unveiled VDRConnect, a web-based

remote access service available with the Danelec DM100 VDR.

VDRConnect is a value-added interface that provides selec-

tive transmission of data from the VDR via satellite to the

home o�ce.

The VDRConnect module connects directly to the ship’s IT

and satellite communication systems without the need for a

separate PC. The ship manager can log into an IP-based web

portal using a convenient dashboard on a computer or tablet

to manage downloads from the VDR.

ChallengesSo what are the barriers to implementing a VDR-based

ship telematics solution?

To make this work in an e�cient manner, the shore o�ce

must be able to request specific data sets and set the

frequency of automatic downloads of each data set.

Unfortunately, while legacy VDRs may have a playback or

data streaming function, this is typically an all-or-nothing

proposition. They were not designed to support selective

transmission of data sets on demand.

Most ships have limited satellite bandwidth capacity. With

the new IMO standard, the amount of data flowing into the

VDR is massive, primarily because of the additional audio

and video outputs being recorded. This makes it impracti-

cal and prohibitively expensive to dump the full VDR data

memory from ship to shore via satellite at frequent

intervals. Although the next generation of maritime

satellites will provide a substantial increase in bandwidth,

the great majority of ships will be using legacy Inmarsat

Fleet Broadband services for a number of years. Thus, the

VDR must be able to transmit smaller blocks of data

without doing a full data dump.

The logical solution is a capability designed into the VDR

to allow »push-through« and »pull-through« of data sets

from ship to shore. Ideally, it should take advantage of

cloud-based Internet connectivity for interfacing with the

home o�ce via a dashboard. The ship operations team

ashore should be able to query the VDR at any time

requesting data from specific sensors, and to set up a

schedule of downloads from each sensor. This would be

dynamically controlled by the computer. For instance,

when open-ocean steaming, they might request reports

every four hours, or even once a day for the noon report.

When the depth sounder shows shallower water readings

or the ECDIS shows the ship entering restricted waters,

the system could be configured to increase the reporting

interval automatically.

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STORE EXTRACT ANALYZE

The VDRConnect module is integrated in a 6-step process establishing a data stream from ship to shore which can be applied by multiple applica-tions – all controlled from shore!

VDRConnect is optimized for narrowband satellite channels.

You can transfer NMEA, digital and analog data records

from the VDR to shore at ten-minute intervals through a 64

kbps connection for as little as $1 USD per day per vessel.

ChallengesSo what are the barriers to implementing a VDR-based

ship telematics solution?

To make this work in an e�cient manner, the shore o�ce

must be able to request specific data sets and set the

frequency of automatic downloads of each data set.

Unfortunately, while legacy VDRs may have a playback or

data streaming function, this is typically an all-or-nothing

proposition. They were not designed to support selective

transmission of data sets on demand.

Most ships have limited satellite bandwidth capacity. With

the new IMO standard, the amount of data flowing into the

VDR is massive, primarily because of the additional audio

and video outputs being recorded. This makes it impracti-

cal and prohibitively expensive to dump the full VDR data

memory from ship to shore via satellite at frequent

intervals. Although the next generation of maritime

satellites will provide a substantial increase in bandwidth,

the great majority of ships will be using legacy Inmarsat

Fleet Broadband services for a number of years. Thus, the

VDR must be able to transmit smaller blocks of data

without doing a full data dump.

The logical solution is a capability designed into the VDR

to allow »push-through« and »pull-through« of data sets

from ship to shore. Ideally, it should take advantage of

cloud-based Internet connectivity for interfacing with the

home o�ce via a dashboard. The ship operations team

ashore should be able to query the VDR at any time

requesting data from specific sensors, and to set up a

schedule of downloads from each sensor. This would be

dynamically controlled by the computer. For instance,

when open-ocean steaming, they might request reports

every four hours, or even once a day for the noon report.

When the depth sounder shows shallower water readings

or the ECDIS shows the ship entering restricted waters,

the system could be configured to increase the reporting

interval automatically.

Ship-2-shore big data for 1 dollar per day

Watertight & fire doors Echo sounder Speed log Thrusters

Radar

Main alarms

Bridge audio

VHF

AIS

GPSGyro compass

Inclinometer

Anemometer Radar

ECDIS

Engine/propellerRudder

Hullopenings

Remote Monitoring and ServiceVDRConnect can provide a portal for remote configuration

of the VDR and reviewing data for the mandatory VDR

annual performance test or trouble shooting a problem

with the VDR before the

service personnel board

the vessel. It can also

provide an immediate

warning if any of the

devices sending data to

the VDR, such as GPS,

gyrocompass, speed log

or depth sounder, should

malfunction. Such a

solution could be

implemented easily.

There are a number of short-term and long-term applications for this capability:

Ship’s Performance OptimizationVDRConnect has been designed to accept

connections with other systems not mandat-

ed by the IMO VDR standard, such as fuel

meters, main engines, generators, emission

monitors and auxiliary machinery. The VDR

can thus become the data collection center in a ship-wide

IT data network, serving as a clearing house for data from

all the ship’s systems and sensors and making it availa-

ble for selective ship-to-shore download in an economical

way, to enhance fuel e�ciency and voyage optimization.

Enhanced SafetyThe Oil Companies International Marine Forum (OCIMF) has

called for proactive use of VDRs to enhance safety at sea.

OCIMF believes that the VDR can be a useful tool for detect-

ing unsafe practices, analyzing incidents and correcting

navigational mistakes. Using data from the VDR, the ship

manager can set up remedial crew training, correct poor

practices and create event-driven roles for parameters such

as depth beneath the keel at speed, tra�c separation

scheme adherence or voyage plans with automatic warnings

for deviations detected. This could be implemented

immediately, since it does not require any new cabling or

links with non-mandatory ship systems or sensors.

1.

2.

Remote Monitoring and ServiceVDRConnect can provide a portal for remote configuration

of the VDR and reviewing data for the mandatory VDR

annual performance test or trouble shooting a problem

with the VDR before the

service personnel board

the vessel. It can also

provide an immediate

warning if any of the

devices sending data to

the VDR, such as GPS,

gyrocompass, speed log

or depth sounder, should

malfunction. Such a

solution could be

implemented easily.

Ship’s Performance OptimizationVDRConnect has been designed to accept

connections with other systems not mandat-

ed by the IMO VDR standard, such as fuel

meters, main engines, generators, emission

monitors and auxiliary machinery. The VDR

can thus become the data collection center in a ship-wide

IT data network, serving as a clearing house for data from

all the ship’s systems and sensors and making it availa-

ble for selective ship-to-shore download in an economical

way, to enhance fuel e�ciency and voyage optimization.

In summary, a modern state-of-the-art VDR, designed to support selective remote access, can bridge the data gap and help make ship telematics a reality.

3.

HIGH QUALITYPRODUCT DESIGN

• Dependable operation | Equipment that is built to be at sea

Danelec products are based on an application-specific design to ensure

extreme reliability. Fewer components mean fewer points of failure, resulting in

the highest MTBF in the industry.

• Future proof | Never obsolete, always supported

We guarantee serviceability of our products during their lifetime for a minimum

of 10 years. Since our products are developed in-house, we have full control

over all components.

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OPERATION & MAINTENANCE• Information at your fingertips | Capture shipboard data and put it to use

Our range of remote access solutions enable instant and cost-optimized access

from shore to ship, so that you can harness the power of big data for informed

decisions and more e�cient asset management.

• Maximize uptime | Rest assured your ship sails on schedule

Our exclusive SWAP technology™ enables fast and easy replacement of equipment

in case of failure, without reinstalling software and reconfiguring the system.

SAFETYFIRST

OPTIMIZATIONOF OPERATIONS

TOTAL COSTOF OWNERSHIP

Safety at sea is priority #1 Enhance fleet operational e�ciency Maximize return on investment

SERVICE & SUPPORT• Immediate support anywhere | There is always a service tech near your ship

Our extensive global network of service centers carry spare parts and provide

service repairs 24/7 with 500+ factory-certified techs in 50+ countries.

• World class service | Consistent, e�cient and transparent

Danelec eService platform™ automates and streamlines traditional manual

processes, bringing unprecedented levels of consistency and e�ciency to

shipboard service.

Danelec Marine A/S • Blokken 44 • 3460 Birkeroed Denmark • T: +45 4594 4300 • www.danelec-marine.com

Danelec systemsSolid • Safe • Simple

WE PROVIDE THE MOST EFFICIENT PRODUCT AND SERVICE SOLUTION TO THE MARITIME INDUSTRY

High quality Danish design

10+ years service guarantee

24/7 worldwide service & parts

Danelec eService platform™

Remote access solutions

SWAP technology™