When the DRU is recovered, its stored data may be used by authorities to replay the information from all serial, analog or digital sensors, bridge audio and VHF, radar and Electronic Chart Display and Information System data, AIS, bridge alert management, thrusters, inclinometer, and information from the electronic logbook to investigate the cause of the accident. The rugged Furuno DRUs, available in fixed or float-free configurations, are designed to withstand the extreme shock and heat that may accompany maritime catastrophe. The Furuno VR7000S Simplified Voyage Data Recorder, which is similar to the “black box” devices found on aircraft, records all crucial data from interfaced sensors onboard and stores it safely in a tamperproof data recording unit (DRU). Understandably, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) has mandated the installation of certain devices intended to bring a measure of safety to an often-dangerous job, including bridge navigational watch alarm systems and voyage data recorders, or VDRs.
The Coast Guard said that thousands of preventable maritime accidents are caused by operator inattention, citing this twice as frequently as the next leading factor. Maritime casualties are an unfortunate possibility when operating on the water, with human error being the leading cause of maritime injury. Furuno’s VR7000S Simplified Voyage Data Recorder, similar to a “black box” found on an aircraft, records crucial data from interfaced sensors onboard a vessel.