Researchers with the security firm IOActive have found that ships' Voyage Data Recorders (VDRs) are vulnerable to hacking and attacks. VDRs, required for ships over 3,000 gross tons under international law, are the equivalent of 'black boxes' on aircraft, recording crucial data such as radar images, position, speed and bring audio, among other data. The data contained within … [Read more...]
Survivability Of The VDR – Voyage Data Recorders.
A plane crashes scattering debris across the ocean floor and boats, equipped with sonar tracking and ROV's, begin their search for a black box containing answers. But what happens when a ship sinks? Eyewitness statements from the Deepwater Horizon's bridge team have provided clues about the failure of critical safety devices but human memory remains weak, a fact proven by … [Read more...]
Cosco Busan – Radar Images And NTSB Transcript
Back in November we worked with a number of organizations to bring you the path of the Cosco Busan on the day of its allision with San Francisco's Bay Bridge (article link). Today, in response to Paul Drouin's article "Pilotage Paradox - A Look Into The Cosco Busan Allision", our friend Professor Kurt Schwehr has compiled the radar images of the incident on his blog. Take a … [Read more...]
Cosco Busan – Questions,Questions,Questions
By Bob Couttie Once the US National Transportation Safety Board has produced the transcripts of the voyage data recorder from the Cosco Busan (Formerly the Hanjin Cairo, the Hanjin name remains on the ship side) we'll have a better idea of who said what to whom and when. Currently only the pilot's version of events is available and it is raising a number of questions. A … [Read more...]