The Master Pilot Exchange: What the VDR Hears, and What Most Ships Leave Unsaid
During a recent VDR audit, I reviewed the port approach…
Category VDR Series
The VDR Series is Vraga Marine’s flagship editorial project — a structured examination of what voyage data recorder audits consistently reveal about bridge team practice across commercial fleets. Based on findings from over 300 VDR navigational audits conducted by Capt. Gaurav Khanna, each article addresses a specific operational area: ECDIS use, radar operation, Master-Pilot Exchange, UKC management, speed in restricted visibility, and more. The series is written for ship managers and DPAs who want to understand what remote assurance actually shows — and what to do about it.
The Port Approach Is Already on Film. Most Managers Don’t Know It.
Most VDR audits begin and end with a compliance requirement.…
The Radar Log Says Done. The VDR Says Otherwise.
The radar performance monitor ship check is one of the…
Passage Planning Mistakes Ships Make — And What the VDR Reveals
I have reviewed VDR data from vessels approaching complex port…
Ghost Fix: What the Bridge Team Does When the Auditor Has Gone Home
I have reviewed hundreds of hours of VDR data. One…
VDR Navigational Audits: What They Are, Why They Matter, and When to Do One
VDR navigational audit programmes exist because of a simple truth…
How a VDR Navigational Audit Works — A Step-by-Step Guide for Ship Managers
I am often asked by ship managers and owners how…