08095.GEN - Long Range Identification and Tracking of Ships (LRIT)
August 12, 2008
FLEET / SAFETY LETTER 08095.GEN
RE: LONG-RANGE IDENTIFICATION AND TRACKING OF SHIPS (LRIT)
SOLAS V/19-1 regulation came into force on January 1, 2008, mandating that the Long Range Identification Tracking system (LRIT) on vessels be operational as of December 31, 2008. Compliance with LRIT is mandatory for all vessels of 300 gross tonnage and above. Vessels that do not comply with LRIT may be denied entry into ports or territorial waters of some Contracting Governments.
WHO The LRIT regulation applies to the following ship types engaged on international voyages:
o All vessels of 300 gross tonnage (ITC tonnage) and above\ o All passenger ships, including high speed craft o Cargo ships, including high speed craft, of 300 gross tonnage and above o Self-propelled mobile offshore drilling units
Ships operating exclusively in Sea Area A1 and fitted with an Automatic Identification System will be exempt.
WHEN A phased approach to the implementation of the regulation will allow for compliance:
o NOT LATER THAN THE FIRST RADIO SURVEY AFTER 31 DECEMBER 2008 Ships constructed on or after December 31, 2008 (new buildings) Ships constructed before December 31, 2008 and certified for operations in Sea Areas A1, A2 & A3
o NOT LATER THAN THE FIRST RADIO SURVEY AFTER JULY 1, 2009 Ships constructed before December 31, 2008 and certified for operations in Sea Area A4
WHAT SHIP OPERATORS (OWNERS AND MANAGERS) MUST DO The ship operator is to:
o provide shipborne equipment which complies with the LRIT regulation o have the equipment tested for conformance o obtain a test certificate
SHIPBORNE EQUIPMENT Currently the only equipment type which satisfies all the conformance requirements of the LRIT regulation is Inmarsat C/Mini-C. Inmarsat C, which includes the Mini-C, will be the primary system used for LRIT, as it is a reliable, proven system, and the majority of ships required to comply with the regulation are already fitted with LRIT compatible Inmarsat C GMDSS or Mini-C equipment. Therefore, most owners will not have to invest in new equipment: this was one of the IMO=s goals when designing the LRIT regulation.
Ship operators should not fit any type of equipment for LRIT compliance other than Inmarsat C/Mini-C. If they fail the compliance test, they should update or renew their equipment and if they have any questions they should contact VMSL.
Other systems will be developed for LRIT reporting in the future: e.g., a system using low earth orbit satellites will be required for Sea Area A4 coverage.
The terminal must be capable of transmitting the following minimum information set in an Automatic Position Report (APR):
o The identity of the ship o The position of the ship o The date and time of the position
In addition, the terminal must be able to respond to polling for an on-demand position report and be able to immediately respond to instructions to modify the APR interval to a frequency of a maximum of once every 15 minutes. APR's will be transmitted at a minimum of 4 times daily to the Vanuatu National Data Center (NDC).
CONFORMANCE TESTING AND TEST CERTIFICATES Every terminal allocated for LRIT must undergo LRIT Conformance Testing (LRIT-CT). This test will be performed remotely by CLS without the intervention of the crew onboard the vessel. The testing program will give ship operators time to replace or upgrade any equipment that fails the test.
All LRIT equipment installed on Vanuatu flagged vessels must be tested and certified by CLS. CLS will also be able to issue Conformance Test Reports (Test Certificates) for terminals that pass the test on behalf of Vanuatu. Test Certificates for LRIT terminals will be required for radio surveys and inspections from December 31, 2008.
EQUIPMENT MAKE, MODEL, AND SERIAL NUMBER In addition to the above actions required by IMO, it is mandatory that the shipowner/operator provide us with the following information
o the equipment manufacturer, o the model number, and, o the serial number of the equipment (SAT C/Mini-C) installed on each vessel.
This information is to be submitted to VMSL as soon as possible so VMSL can forward the required information to CLS to enable them to perform the conformance test.
For a listing of Vanuatu flagged vessels required to comply with LRIT, please visit our website after September 15, 2008. Please also complete the attached form and submit it to Ms. Dee Rescigno by email at The website information will be updated on a regular basis.
For additional background information on LRIT, "google" the IMO Document number or visit IMO=s website (www.imo.org) to download the following resolutions:
LRIT Regulation
IMO Resolution MSC.202(81) LRIT Performance Standard
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