Canadian ships to get VDR

摘要

New ferries of more than 500dwt and new cargo ships of 3,000dwt or more will have to carry voyage data recorders (VDRs) from 1 January, Canadian transport minister Denis Lebel announced in November. Owners of older passenger vessels will have until 1 July 2015 to install the devices. Transport Canada officials will inspect them regularly, Lebel said in a press statement. The existing Canadian Great Lakes fleet is exempted because US ships on the lakes are not required to carry VDRs. These maritime equivalents of aircraft 'black boxes' provide vital data for investigations into collisions and sinkings, the minister said.