LONG RANGE IDENTIFICATION AND TRACKING OF SHIPS

A new SOLAS regulation on long-range identification and tracking of ships enters into force on 1 January 2008, giving SOLAS Contracting Governments a year to set up and test the LRIT system and ship operators a year to start fitting the necessary equipment or upgrading so that their ships can transmit LRIT information.

This is among a series of amendments to IMO instruments entering into force on the same day, covering training requirements for ship security officers, launching/recovery of fast rescue boats and including an amendment to the International Maritime Dangerous Goods (IMDG) Code.

May 2006 amendments to SOLAS - LRIT
The regulation in SOLAS chapter V Safety of Navigation, introduces LRIT as a mandatory requirement for the following ships on international voyages: passenger ships, including high-speed craft; cargo ships, including high-speed craft, of 300 gross tonnage and upward; and mobile offshore drilling units.

Ships constructed on or after 31 December 2008 must be fitted with a system to transmit automatically the identity of the ship, the position of the ship (latitude and longitude) and the date and time of the position provided.

Ships constructed before 31 December 2008 and certified for operations in sea areas A1 and A2, or A1, A2 and A3, must be fitted with the equipment not later than the first survey of the radio installation after 31 December 2008.

Ships constructed before 31 December 2008 certified for operations in sea areas Al, A2, A3 and A4, must comply not later than the first survey of the radio installation after 1 July 2009 (but must comply earlier, as above, if they operate within sea areas A2 and A3).

Ships operating exclusively in sea area A1 and fitted with an automatic identification system (AIS) are exempted from the requirement to transmit LRIT information.

The LRIT system is intended to be operational with respect to the transmission of LRIT information by ships from 30 December 2008.