The Long Range Tracking and Identification (LRIT)

The Long Range Tracking and Identification (LRIT) is an international tracking and
identification system incorporated by the IMO under its SOLAS convention to ensure a
thorough tracking system for ships across the world.
It came into existence on the 19th May 2006 and was incorporated formally starting from
January 2008. Based on these lines, those ships which were built on or following
31st December 2008 were required to have this system of vessel identification.

The main purpose of the LRIT ship position reports is to enable a Contracting
Government to obtain ship identity and location information in sufficient time to
evaluate the security risk posed by a ship off its coast and to respond, if necessary,
to reduce any risks.

The most important advantage of having this system is that the information required to be
shared is restricted only to those parties which are required to have it. This reduces
unnecessary problems and increases the transparency and viability of the system on the whole.
The new regulation on LRIT is included in SOLAS chapter V on Safety of
Navigation, through which LRIT will be introduced as a mandatory requirement
for the following ships on international voyages:

• All passenger ships including high-speed craft,

• Cargo ships, including high-speed craft of 300 gross tonnage and above, and
• Mobile offshore drilling units.
These ships must report their position to their flag administration at least four times a day.
Most vessels set their existing satellite communications systems to automatically make
these reports. Other contracting governments may request information about vessels in
which they have a legitimate interest under the regulation.
In addition, these Centre's shall be capable of communicating amongst themselves and
exchanging position reports upon request. In particular, a ship having notified a port of
impending entry (NOA) can be tracked by that particular port thanks to this system.
Contracting governments will also be able to track any ship within a 1,000 nautical mile zone
of its coastline, no matter what flag it is flying.
 The LRIT system consists
of the already installed
(generally) shipborne
satellite communications
equipment,
communications service
providers (CSPs),
application service
providers (ASPs), LRIT
data centres, the LRIT
data distribution plan
(Data Centre) and the
International LRIT data
exchange. Certain
aspects of the
performance of the LRIT
system are reviewed or
audited by the LRIT
coordinator acting on
behalf of the IMO and its
contracting governments.

The LRIT information ships will be required to transmit include the ship's identity, location and
date and time of the position. There will be no interface between LRIT and AIS. One of the more
important distinctions between LRIT and AIS, apart from the obvious one of range, is that,
whereas AIS is a broadcast system, data derived through LRIT will be available only to the
recipients who are entitled to receive such information and safeguards concerning the
confidentiality of those data have been built into the regulatory provisions. SOLAS Contracting
Governments will be entitled to receive information about ships navigating within a distance not
exceeding 1000 nautical miles off their coast.

•LRIT implementation timeline as per January 2009

Ships over 300 gt GMDSS area Implementation date

Ships constructed on/after All From date of build
31st December 2008

Ships constructed before A1, A2 Not later than the 1st radio installation
31st December 2008 survey after 31st Dec 2008
A1, A2, A3

Ships constructed before A1, A2, A3, A4 Not later than the 1st radio installation
31st December 2008 survey after 1st July 2009
 4 The LRIT Information
4.1 The LRIT Information that is required to be
transmitted by the ship is specified in new SOLAS
Regulation V/19-1.5 and is limited to:
1. identity of the ship;
2. position of the ship (latitude and longitude); and
3. date and time of the position provided.
6 Application Service Provider(s)
6.1 The Application Service Provider (ASP) receives the LRIT reports transmitted by the ship via
the CSP, adds certain additional information to each report, and forwards the reports to the Data
Centre nominated by the ship’s Flag State. The information to be added to each LRIT report by the
ASP includes:
1. IMO ship identification number and MMSI for the ship;
2. name of the ship;
3. unique identification code for the LRIT Data Centre; and
4. a number of time stamps used for tracking and audit purposes.

In order to ensure whether the system is operating as it needs to be, there is auditing carried out
at regular intervals by a co-ordinator for the system. This co-ordinator acts as the representative
of all the countries under the SOLAS convention that have incorporated the Long Range Tracking
and Identification system.

Technology has helped us to achieve a lot and with the help of the Long Range Tracking and
Identification technology, all unwanted and problem-inducing factors of maritime operational lines
can be successfully attended to.

Access to LRIT information

• A Flag state has allways the right to access the information for ships in its own register
• A Port state has the right to access when a ship has declared its intention to go to a port in that
state - but not if the ship is in the the territorial waters of another state
• A Coastal state has the right to access for ships within 1000 Nm from its coast - but not if the ship
is in the the territorial waters of another state
• The access rights belongs to the state - ”Contracting Government to IMO” and for its Competent
Authorities. Other use is not allowed.
• SAR organisations can have access whenever needed
Long Range Identification and
Tracking ( LRIT )
Purpose
Long Range Identification and Tracking or LRIT enables a Contracting
Government to obtain ship identity and location information insufficient time to
evaluate the security risk posed by a ship off its coast and to respond, if

necessary, to reduce any risks.

Long-range identification and tracking is also not a GMDSS communications

system but it may use GMDSS equipment, particularly Inmarsat C terminals.
LRIT is the subject of a new regulation included in chapter V of SOLAS which
applies to ships constructed after 31 December 2008 with a phased-in
implementation schedule for existing ships. The new regulation does not apply
to ships which operate exclusively within sea area A1 and are fitted with AIS.

The LRIT information that ships are

required to transmit include
• the ship’s identity,
• position
• date and time of the position.

LRIT differs from AIS by having longer range and also, whereas AIS is a
broadcast system, data derived through

LRIT information is available to:

 • Contracting Governments are entitled to receive information about
ships navigating within a distance up to 1,000 nautical miles off
their coast, and
• about ships which have indicated an intention to enter a port
irrespective of distance.
• Administrations are entitled to receive information about their own
flagged ships irrespective of where the ships are located.

The shipborne equipment is required to automatically transmit the LRIT

information at 6-hour intervals to an LRIT Data Centre and also be capable of
being remotely configured to transmit at variable intervals and be capable of
responding to a polling command. LRIT Data Centres are set up nationally or
regionally by Governments and communicate through an International LRIT
Data Exchange. Governments obtain LRIT data from the Data Centres by
request providing that they are so entitled according to an LRIT Data
Distribution Plan which is administered by the IMO.

Governments bear all the costs associated with LRIT and there are no charges to
ships. LRIT information may also be made available for search and rescue
purposes.

The LRIT regulation will apply to the

following ship types engaged on
international voyages:
1. All passenger ships including high-speed craft,
2. Cargo ships, including the high-speed craft of 300 gross tonnage
and above, and
3. Mobile offshore drilling units.

These ships must report their position to their flag administration at least four
times a day.
 LONG RANGE
IDENTIFICATION AND
TRACKING
PURPOSE OF LRIT
The Long Range Identification and Tracking (LRIT) system is a designated
International Maritime
Organization (IMO) system designed to collect and disseminate vessel position
information received
from IMO member States ships. The main purpose of the LRIT ship position
reports is to enable a
Contracting Government to obtain ship identity and location information in
sufficient time to evaluate
the security risk posed by a ship off its coast and to respond, if necessary, to
reduce any risks. LRIT has
also become an essential component of SAR operations and marine environment
protection.
It is a satellite-based, real-time reporting mechanism providing almost worldwide
coverage (Inmarsat
Coverage) that allows unique visibility to position reports of vessels that would
otherwise be invisible
and potentially a threat.
CARRIAGE REQUIREMENT
Ships in international voyages
- Passenger ships
- Cargo ships over 300 t
- Mobile platforms
Ships fitted with AIS and sailing in sea A1 areas do not need to transmit LRIT data.
INFORMATION TRANSMITTED
 Identity (Ship’s LRIT Identifier)
 Position (Lat/Long)
 Date and time (UTC)
UPDATE INTERVAL
 Default value 6 hourly
 Update interval remotely selectable
 Minimum interval 15 min
 May be switched off by the Master under certain conditions
THE LRIT SYSTEM CONSISTS OF:
1. The ship borne LRIT information transmitting equipment
2. Communications Service Providers (CSPs)
3. Application Service Providers (ASPs)
4. LRIT Data Centres (DC), including any related Vessel Monitoring System(s)
(VMSs)
5. The LRIT Data Distribution Plan (DDP)
6. The International LRIT Data Exchange (IDE), and,
7. LRIT Co-Ordinator

THE SHIP BORNE LRIT: The LRIT system is independent of the means of
transmission. It suffices so long
as the position report is transferred to the ASP via CSP. However, due to its polling
feature, Sat-C, often
used for GMDSS, is used for LRIT data transmission. This option may be used when
there is duplication
of equipment under GMDSS. Only one equipment may be used as a LRIT to avoid
duplication of report
(of the same ship) at the DC.
COMMUNICATION SERVICE PROVIDER (CSP): The Communication Service
Provider (CSP) provides the
communications services which transfer LRIT data securely from ship to the ASP on
shore.
APPLICATION SERVICE PROVIDER (ASP): The Application Service Provider
(ASP) receives the LRIT reports
transmitted by the ship via the CSP, adds certain additional information to each
report, and forwards
the reports to the Data Centre nominated by the ship’s Flag State. The information
to be added to each
LRIT report by the ASP includes:
1. ASPId
2. CSPId
3. Message Type
4. Message Id
5. IMO number for the ship
6. MMSI number for the ship
7. Two Time stamps (Report received and transmitted) - used for tracking and audit
purposes.
Additionally, ASP is also responsible for identifying the ships which fail in sending
their automatic
position reports and reset the system if required.
LRTI DATA CENTER (DC): The function of the Data Center is to collect the position
report data and
participate in proper dissemination of this information to authorized entities. Each
contracting
government must nominate a DC to which all the ships flying their flag must send
their position report.
The Data Centers may be –
National (NDC) – owned and operated by the contracting govt (CG).
Regional Data Centre (RDC) – providing services to a number of CGs through a
regional entity of
some kind.
Co-Operative Data Center (CDC) – Governments may form one DC for their ships
e.g., EU CDC.
Additionally, there is International Data Exchange (IDC) for the ships of CGs not part
of any of
the above DCs to send their position reports.
INTERNATIONAL DATA EXCHANGE (IDE): The LRIT Data Centers are the users
of the International Data
Exchange (IDE). In order to be connected to the IDE, a Data Center must be
included in the LRIT Data
Distribution Plan. The IDE only routes the communication via Internet, but does
access or use the ship
position reports. Only the message headers may be accessed for handling
exchange.
By international agreement among the contracting governments, the governments
are entitled to
receive LRIT data within 1000 miles of their coast, provided that this does not
infringe the territory of
another country.
DATA DISTRIBUTION PLAN (DDP): Each contracting Govt specify and submit their
policy on data
exchange at the DDP. The DDP is consulted by any DC in order to determine
whether a request for LRIT
information should be allowed under the rules for the distribution of LRIT data.
The DDP information includes:
1. A list of the unique identification codes assigned to key elements in the LRIT
system;
2. A list of the ports and port facilities within the territory and places under the
jurisdiction of each
Contracting Government; and
3. The coordinates which define the various geographical areas declared by
Contracting
Governments within which they wish to exercise their rights to receive or restrict the
distribution of LRIT information as a Flag or Coastal State
BENEFITS OF LRIT:
 As a Flag Administration, layout of higher security risk geographic areas,
worldwide, and
associated ship notification
 As a Port State, more effective management of Port State control activity, including
security risk
assessment
 Locating overdue ships
 As a Coastal State, to monitor coastal traffic for safety, security and environmental
protection
needs
 Reducing risk of piracy attacks
 As a Flag Administration, locating ships for Flag and Class compliance surveys –
safety, security, environme

CERTIFICATION:
 There are number of steps in the process for any ship to be certified for LRIT
participation, including:
 Equipment type approval
 Equipment conformance testing
 Annual Radio
 Copy of Conformance Test Report on board, Record of Equipment (SEQ, Form-
E) amended

LRIT V/s AIS – COMPARISION:

LONG RANGE IDENTIFICATION AND TRACKING
PURPOSE OF LRIT
The Long Range Identification and Tracking (LRIT) system is a
designated International Maritime
Organization (IMO) system designed to collect and disseminate
vessel position information received
from IMO member States ships. The main purpose of the LRIT ship
position reports is to enable a
Contracting Government to obtain ship identity and location
information in sufficient time to evaluate
the security risk posed by a ship off its coast and to respond, if
necessary, to reduce any risks. LRIT has
also become an essential component of SAR operations and marine
environment protection.
It is a satellite-based, real-time reporting mechanism providing
almost worldwide coverage (Inmarsat
Coverage) that allows unique visibility to position reports of vessels
that would otherwise be invisible
and potentially a threat.
CARRIAGE REQUIREMENT
Ships in international voyages
- Passenger ships
- Cargo ships over 300 t
- Mobile platforms
Ships fitted with AIS and sailing in sea A1 areas do not need to
transmit LRIT data.
INFORMATION TRANSMITTED
 Identity (Ship’s LRIT Identifier)
 Position (Lat/Long)
 Date and time (UTC)
UPDATE INTERVAL
 Default value 6 hourly
 Update interval remotely selectable
 Minimum interval 15 min
 May be switched off by the Master under certain conditions
THE LRIT SYSTEM CONSISTS OF:
1. The ship borne LRIT information transmitting equipment
2. Communications Service Providers (CSPs)
3. Application Service Providers (ASPs)
4. LRIT Data Centres (DC), including any related Vessel Monitoring
System(s) (VMSs)
5. The LRIT Data Distribution Plan (DDP)
6. The International LRIT Data Exchange (IDE), and,
7. LRIT Co-Ordinator

THE SHIP BORNE LRIT: The LRIT system is independent of the means
of transmission. It suffices so long
as the position report is transferred to the ASP via CSP. However, due
to its polling feature, Sat-C, often
used for GMDSS, is used for LRIT data transmission. This option may
be used when there is duplication
of equipment under GMDSS. Only one equipment may be used as a
LRIT to avoid duplication of report
(of the same ship) at the DC.
COMMUNICATION SERVICE PROVIDER (CSP): The Communication
Service Provider (CSP) provides the
communications services which transfer LRIT data securely from ship
to the ASP on shore.
APPLICATION SERVICE PROVIDER (ASP): The Application Service
Provider (ASP) receives the LRIT reports
transmitted by the ship via the CSP, adds certain additional
information to each report, and forwards
the reports to the Data Centre nominated by the ship’s Flag State.
The information to be added to each
LRIT report by the ASP includes:
1. ASPId
2. CSPId
3. Message Type
4. Message Id
5. IMO number for the ship
6. MMSI number for the ship
7. Two Time stamps (Report received and transmitted) - used for
tracking and audit purposes.
Additionally, ASP is also responsible for identifying the ships which
fail in sending their automatic
position reports and reset the system if required.
LRTI DATA CENTER (DC): The function of the Data Center is to collect
the position report data and
participate in proper dissemination of this information to authorized
entities. Each contracting
government must nominate a DC to which all the ships flying their
flag must send their position report.
The Data Centers may be –
National (NDC) – owned and operated by the contracting govt (CG).
Regional Data Centre (RDC) – providing services to a number of CGs
through a regional entity of
some kind.
Co-Operative Data Center (CDC) – Governments may form one DC
for their ships e.g., EU CDC.
Additionally, there is International Data Exchange (IDC) for the ships
of CGs not part of any of
the above DCs to send their position reports.
INTERNATIONAL DATA EXCHANGE (IDE): The LRIT Data Centers are
the users of the International Data
Exchange (IDE). In order to be connected to the IDE, a
Data Center must be included in the LRIT Data
Distribution Plan. The IDE only routes the communication via
Internet, but does access or use the ship
position reports. Only the message headers may be accessed for
handling exchange.
By international agreement among the contracting governments, the
governments are entitled to
receive LRIT data within 1000 miles of their coast, provided that this
does not infringe the territory of
another country.
DATA DISTRIBUTION PLAN (DDP): Each contracting Govt specify
and submit their policy on data
exchange at the DDP. The DDP is consulted by any DC in order to
determine whether a request for LRIT
information should be allowed under the rules for the distribution of
LRIT data.
The DDP information includes:
1. A list of the unique identification codes assigned to key elements
in the LRIT system;
2. A list of the ports and port facilities within the territory and places
under the jurisdiction of each
Contracting Government; and
3. The coordinates which define the various geographical areas
declared by Contracting
Governments within which they wish to exercise their rights to
receive or restrict the
distribution of LRIT information as a Flag or Coastal State
BENEFITS OF LRIT:
 As a Flag Administration, layout of higher security risk geographic
areas, worldwide, and
associated ship notification
 As a Port State, more effective management of Port State control
activity, including security risk
assessment
 Locating overdue ships
 As a Coastal State, to monitor coastal traffic for safety, security
and environmental protection
needs
 Reducing risk of piracy attacks
 As a Flag Administration, locating ships for Flag and Class
compliance surveys – safety, security, environme

CERTIFICATION:
 There are number of steps in the process for any ship to be
certified for LRIT participation, including:
 Equipment type approval
 Equipment conformance testing
 Annual Radio
 Copy of Conformance Test Report on board, Record of Equipment
(SEQ, Form-E) amended
1.7 State the concept and purpose of LRIT, VDR/ S-
VDR, and BNWAS. Describe the purpose of fitting a
"Long Range Identification and Tracking" device
(LRIT) on board a ship. List out the data which will be
transmitted as part of LRIT. Transmission from a ship.

The Long Range Tracking and Identification (LRIT) -:

The Long Range Tracking and Identification (LRIT) is an international tracking
and identification system incorporated by the IMO under its SOLAS convention
to ensure a thorough tracking system for ships across the world.
th
It came into existence on the 19 May 2006 and was incorporated formally
starting from January 2008.
The main purpose of the LRIT ship position reports is to enable a Contracting
Government to obtain ship identity and location information in sufficient time
to evaluate the security risk posed by a ship off its coast and to respond, if
necessary, to reduce any risks.

The most important advantage of having this system is that the information
required to be shared is restricted only to those parties which are required to
have it. This reduces unnecessary problems and increases the transparency and
viability of the system on the whole.

The new regulation on LRIT is included in SOLAS chapter V on Safety of

Navigation, through which LRIT will be introduced as a mandatory requirement
for the following ships on international voyages:
• All passenger ships including high-speed craft,
 • Cargo ships, including high-speed craft of 300 gross tonnage and above,
and
• Mobile offshore drilling units.
These ships must report their position to their flag administration at least four times a
day. Most vessels set their existing satellite communications systems to
automatically make these reports. Other contracting governments may request
information about vessels in which they have a legitimate interest under the
regulation.
In addition, these Centre's shall be capable of communicating amongst
themselves and exchanging position reports upon request. In particular, a ship
having notified a port of impending entry (NOA) can be tracked by that
particular port thanks to this system. Contracting governments will also be able
to track any ship within a 1,000 nautical mile zone of its coastline, no matter
what flag it is flying.

PURPOSE OF LRIT :
The main purpose of the LRIT ship position reports is to enable a
Contracting Government to obtain ship identity and location
information in sufficient time to evaluate the security risk posed by a
ship.

The LRIT Information Transmitted :

The LRIT Information that is required to be transmitted by the ship is specified
in new SOLAS Regulation V/19-1.5 and is limited to:

1. identity of the ship;

2. position of the ship (latitude and longitude); and
3. date and time of the position provided.
The Application Service Provider (ASP) receives the LRIT reports transmitted
by the ship via the CSP(communication Service provider, ie info received from
Satellites), adds certain additional information to each report, and forwards the
reports to the Data Centre nominated by the ship’s Flag State. The information to
be added to each LRIT report by the ASP includes:
1. IMO ship identification number and MMSI for the ship;
2. name of the ship;
3. unique identification code for the LRIT Data Centre; and
4. a number of time stamps used for tracking and audit purposes.

In order to ensure whether the system is operating as it needs to be, there is

auditing carried out at regular intervals by a co-ordinator for the system.
Technology has helped us to achieve a lot and with the help of LRIT, all
problem-inducing factors of maritime operational lines can be successfully
attended to.
Access to LRIT information
• A Flag state has allways the right to access the information for ships in its
own register
• A Port state has the right to access when a ship has declared its intention
to go to a port in that state - but not if the ship is in the the territorial waters
of another state
• A Coastal state has the right to access for ships within 1000 Nm from its
coast - but not if the ship is in the the territorial waters of another state
• The access rights belongs to the state - ”Contracting Government to IMO”
and for its Competent Authorities. Other use is not allowed.
• SAR organisations can have access whenever needed
Qs 1) What is LRIT & It’s Purpose ?
Qs 2) What data is transmitted by LRIT & who can access it ?