Maersk Line Upgrades Voyage Data Recorders

Danish container shipping giant Maersk Line has chosen its compatriot Danelec Marine to retrofit 100 vessels with the next-generation Danelec DM100 Voyage Data Recorders (VDRs) and Simplified Voyage Data Recorders (S-VDRs), to meet the latest IMO standards.

The Danelec conversion kits include adapter plates with pre-drilled bolt holes, as well as serial, digital and analog interfaces for most older VDR brands, providing plug-and-play replacement of the existing bridge data units, microphones, memory capsules and other components while reusing all existing interfaces, cabling and adapters.

Launched last spring, the Danelec DM100 VDR and S-VDR incorporate Danelec’s SoftWare Advanced Protection (SWAP) technology, which facilitates fast and easy shipboard service, and VDRConnect, which provides selective remote download of VDR datasets at shore offices. The DM100 VDR and S-VDR use the same basic system architecture and share common parts and spares for easy service and repairs worldwide.

Installations have begun on the 100 Maersk Line ships and will be completed in 2016.

”The fleet retrofit program will take advantage of our newly developed conversion kits, which we designed to facilitate replacement of older models of VDRs and S-VDRs,” said Hans Ottosen, CEO of Danelec Marine. ”Some of these older products are 10 or more years old and are nearing the end of their service life.”