The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has adopted an amendment to Chapter V of the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea 1974 (SOLAS), which introduces new mandatory position reporting obligations for SOLAS ships. It is called Long Range Identification and Tracking (LRIT) and requires vessels to automatically transmit identity and position with date/time at 6-hour intervals.
LRIT came into force on January 1st 2008 with compliance required by 31st December 2008. Vessels required to comply are:
- Passenger ships, including high-speed craft
- Cargo ships, including high-speed craft, of 300 gross tonnage and upwards
- Mobile offshore drilling units.
LRIT promises to provide a much clearer picture of merchant shipping activity to key stakeholders as we continue on the relentless drive towards complete eNavigation. The system has the potential to increase safety and security and by giving Port States early indication of a vessel’s position and route details, it could even provide a more seamless experience from deep sea, to coastal passage and port approach right up to dockside.
This improvement in navigation and logistical capabilities may not require any significant investment from shipowners or operators as the majority of affected vessels already comply with LRIT performance standards, they may just not know it…
LRIT On board
Inmarsat C has been chosen as the main LRIT data transmission platform. This system is already used by merchant and fishing vessels for tracking by a vessel’s owner/operator. It has proven its capabilities in safety and security applications with extensive use for both GMDSS and Ship Safety Alert System (SSAS) and is in fact the only satellite system allowed for GMDSS use.
The majority of vessels already have the tools on board to comply with LRIT. However, GMDSS and SSAS terminals will have to meet a certain performance standard to be suitable for LRIT use. Ship LRIT equipment must be capable of being configured to transmit the following minimum information in an Automatically Generated Position Report (APR):
- Ship identity
- Ship position
- Date and time of the position.
Ship LRIT equipment must also be able to respond to requests from member states and LRIT data centres for immediate position reports and be able to change the time interval between reports to a maximum frequency of every 15 minutes.
Standalone Terminal
Although existing SAILOR SSAS, GMDSS and mini-C [make links to each area as above] terminals should indeed be capable of transmitting LRIT signals, for reasons such as redundancy, maintenance and operational efficiency, some vessels may wish to install a standalone LRIT terminal. To accommodate this need Thrane & Thrane has introduced the SAILOR TT-3000 LRIT stand-alone solution, which is available now. Click here to find out more about this low-priced industry first. |