How HENSOLDT Manta NEO VDR Supports Safer and More Reliable Vessel Operations
At sea, having the right information at the right time can make a significant difference. When an incident occurs, reliable voyage data can help investigators and vessel operators understand what happened, review the actions taken on board, and assess the circumstances leading up to the event.
This is where a Voyage Data Recorder (VDR) plays an important role. Often compared to the black box used in aviation, a VDR records key information from a vessel’s navigation and bridge systems, creating a valuable record that can be reviewed when required.
The HENSOLDT Manta NEO VDR brings together reliable data recording with features designed to make monitoring, system checks, and playback easier for vessel crews and operators.
What Is a Voyage Data Recorder?
A Voyage Data Recorder, or VDR, is designed to record important information during a vessel’s voyage. This can include navigation data, radar information and audio from the bridge, along with other relevant vessel parameters.
The recorded information can be particularly useful following an incident. By reviewing the data, investigators, shipowners and vessel operators can gain a clearer understanding of the events leading up to an incident and review the procedures and actions taken at the time.
The Manta NEO is designed around this need, while also providing practical tools for monitoring the system and accessing recorded information.
Key Features of the HENSOLDT Manta NEO VDR
High-Resolution Touchscreen and Real-Time Data
The Manta NEO features a high-resolution touchscreen display that provides access to data in real time. The system also allows users to perform on-demand performance tests.
This gives crew members a straightforward way to monitor the system and check its performance when required. Having this information readily available can make routine system checks more convenient.
Simple Fault Diagnosis
Keeping track of the VDR’s condition is important when the system is responsible for continuously recording voyage information.
Manta NEO uses a traffic-light system monitor to provide a simple visual indication of system status. This makes it easier for users to recognise potential faults and identify when further attention may be needed.
Rather than relying on complicated diagnostics, the visual monitoring approach provides a quick way to check the system.
Easy Playback of Recorded Information
Recording data is only useful if that information can be accessed and reviewed efficiently.
The Manta NEO includes Audio Scan and Jump to Incident functions, helping users move through recorded information and locate relevant sections more easily.
This can be particularly useful when reviewing an incident. Instead of searching through large amounts of recorded information manually, users have tools designed to help them reach the relevant point more efficiently.
High-Performance Processing and Solid-State Storage
The Manta NEO uses a high-performance main processor and solid-state storage technology for handling recorded voyage data.
The system also provides considerable capacity for data capture and future expansion. This gives vessel operators a recording solution that can accommodate current requirements while allowing room for future needs.
Reliable storage is particularly important for a VDR because recorded information may need to be accessed well after the original event has taken place.
What Does the Manta NEO Record?
A vessel’s operation involves information from several different navigation and bridge systems. The Manta NEO brings key information together as part of the vessel’s voyage record.
The system records parameters such as:
- Time and date
- Vessel position
- Vessel speed
- Vessel heading
- Bridge audio
- Radar data
Having these different types of information available together can provide a clearer picture of the vessel’s circumstances at a particular time.
For example, when reviewing an incident, navigation information can be considered alongside radar data and bridge audio to better understand the sequence of events.
Supporting Incident Investigation
One of the main reasons voyage data is valuable is that events at sea can be complex. Understanding an incident may require more than looking at a single piece of information.
A VDR provides a recorded reference that can help investigators and vessel operators review the circumstances surrounding an event. Information such as the vessel’s position, speed, heading, radar data and bridge audio can help establish what was happening before and during the incident.
The recorded data can also support reviews of procedures and actions taken on board, providing useful information for operational assessments and future improvements.
Suitable for New Vessels and Retrofit Projects
The Manta NEO is designed for both commercial retrofit applications and new shipbuilding.
It also uses identical hardware for S-VDR and VDR applications, providing flexibility for different vessel requirements. Its design allows existing VDR systems to be upgraded where required.
For vessel owners and operators, this flexibility can be useful when planning a new installation or looking to modernise an existing system.
Designed for Regulatory Requirements
VDR systems operate within an environment where technical and performance requirements are important considerations.
According to HENSOLDT, the Manta NEO complies with the applicable performance standards and technical requirements defined in MSC.333(90) and IEC 61996-1 Ed. 2.
This makes consideration of the system’s technical compliance an important part of evaluating it for vessel applications.
More Than Just a Recording System
A VDR’s role does not begin and end with recording information after an incident.
With features such as real-time data display, system performance testing, fault monitoring and efficient playback, the Manta NEO is designed to make the recording system itself easier to monitor and use as part of modern maritime solutions.
For vessel operators, this means having a system that can provide access to important voyage information while also supporting the review and understanding of events when required.
HENSOLDT Manta NEO VDR Support in Saudi Arabia
AMIT Marine Services Co. supports the sales and servicing of the HENSOLDT Manta NEO VDR in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, serving government entities, shipowners, vessel operators and the wider marine sector.
Through its HENSOLDT equipment support, AMIT Marine Services provides customers in Saudi Arabia with access to VDR solutions for new installations, retrofit projects, upgrades and marine servicing requirements.
For customers in Saudi Arabia, AMIT Marine Services Co. supports the sales and servicing of HENSOLDT Manta NEO VDR systems, helping shipowners, vessel operators, government entities and marine organisations access professional marine equipment and support.