LONG-RANGE IDENTIFICATION AND TRACKING OF SHIPS

LRIT Regulation

Why LRIT?

The concept of Long-Range Identification and Tracking (LRIT) was borne out of the incidence of recent terrorist activity in the USA. The International Maritime Organization (IMO) introduced the ISPS-code in 2003 and began a dialog about a system to receive daily position reports from ships at sea as an aspect of Marine Safety.
LRIT is designed to ensure that ships provide daily position reports, at a basic rate of every 6 hours (i.e. 4 times a day). Contracting Governments are entitled to receive LRIT data from vessels up to 1000 nm from their coasts.

What is LRIT?

From the concept a detailed system specification was created outlining all aspects of the system. It clearly defines a flow of data from the ship (which must provide a regular ship position report) via a communications service provider to a National or Regional Data Centre, which acts on behalf of the Flag State to which the ship is registered. The Data Centre is the repository of all of the Flag’s LRIT information e.g. ship positional data, and is connected to the wider International LRIT system via the International Data Exchange (IDE) using a specific LRIT communications protocol. The full system specification is detailed in the IMO resolution documents that you will find on our IMO Resolutions page.

Who is affected by LRIT?

LRIT is implemented under SOLAS V/19-1. LRIT requires Ship owners to ensure provision of compliant ship borne equipment meeting the applicable LRIT regulations. The LRIT regulation will apply to the following ship types engaged on international voyages:
All passenger ships including high speed craft
Cargo ships, including high speed craft (and yachts) of 300 gross tonnage and above
Mobile offshore drilling units

There is an exemption for ships which operate entirely within coastal Sea Area A1 and are fitted with an Automatic Identification System. While ships operating in near-coastal Sea Area A2 not fitted with Inmarsat C GMDSS will be required to fit a compliant terminal, ships operating in polar Sea Area A4 above 70 degrees latitude will require a non-Inmarsat terminal that operates in conjunction with a low-earth orbit Communication Service Provider (CSP) approved by the Flag in conjunction with its appointed Application Service Provider (ASP).
Any vessel that is required to transmit LRIT data (see the Ship Operators section for more
details) must be able to do so by 31 December 2008 or by the first radio survey after this date.
For ships operating in Sea Area A4, the regulation states that this should be no later than the first radio survey after 1 July 2009.

The terminal must be capable of being configured to transmit the following minimum information set in an Automatic Position Report (APR):
· The ship-borne equipment id
· The GNSS position (latitude and longitude) of the ship (based on the WGS 84 datum)
· The date and time associated with the GNSS position.
In addition, the terminal must be able to respond to polling for an on-demand position report and be able immediately to respond to instructions to modify the automatic position report interval to a frequency of a maximum of one every 15 minutes. APR's will be transmitted as a minimum 4 times per day to a National Data Centre (NDC), a Cooperative Data Centre (CDC), or a Regional Data Centre (RDC) nominated by the Flag.

MARITIME POLICIES: FLAGSTATE ADMINISTRATION ADVISORIES


Parkview Plaza
984 Taft Avenue corner T.M. Kalaw Avenue, Ermita, Manila
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION AND COMMUNICATIONS
MARITIME INDUSTRY AUTHORITY
15 December 2008
MARINA ADVISORY NO. 23
Series of 2008

TO : ALL SHIPPING COMPANIES / OPERATORS /
CHARTERERS OF PHILIPPINE-REGISTERED SHIPS
ENGAGED IN INTERNATIONAL VOYAGES AND SUCH
OTHER CONCERNED MARITIME ENTITIES
SUBJECT : AUTHORITY OF THE UNDERSECRETARY FOR
MARITIME TRANSPORT, DOTC AND OFFICER-INCHARGE,
MARINA TO APPOINT POLE STAR AS
APPLICATION SERVICE PROVIDER(ASP) AND DATA
CENTER FOR LONG-RANGE IDENTIFICATION AND
TRACKING(LRIT) OF SHIPS

Notice is hereby given that by virtue of Board Resolution No. 06, series of 2008,
approved on 11 December 2008, the Board of Directors of the Maritime Industry
Authority(MARINA) has granted authority to the Undersecretary of Maritime
Transport, DOTC and Officer-in-Charge, MARINA to appoint Pole Star as the
Application Service Provider(ASP) to conduct conformance testing for
communication equipment onboard Philippine-registered ships in international
voyages and to be the data center for Long-Range Identification and Tracking(LRIT) of Ships.

Notice is also given to all concerned to immediately undergo conformance testing before January 2009.

This Advisory takes effect immediately.
For strict compliance.