Revoked by MSC.263(84)

Resolution MSC.210(81)

PERFORMANCE STANDARDS AND FUNCTIONAL REQUIREMENTS FOR THE LONG-RANGE IDENTIFICATION AND TRACKING OF SHIPS

(adopted on 19 May 2006)

 

 

THE MARITIME SAFETY COMMITTEE,

 

RECALLING Article 28(b) of the Convention on the International Maritime Organization concerning the functions of the Committee,

 

RECALLING ALSO resolution A.886(21) on Procedure for the adoption of, and amendments to, performance standards and technical specifications, by which the Assembly resolved that the function of adopting performance standards and technical specifications, as well as amendments thereto shall be performed by the Maritime Safety Committee,

 

RECALLING FURTHER the provisions of the new regulation V/19-1 of the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea, 1974, as amended (the Convention), relating to the long-range identification and tracking of ships,

 

RECOGNIZING the need to adopt appropriate performance standards and functional requirements on long-range identification and tracking of ships,

 

HAVING CONSIDERED the recommendation made by the Sub-Committee on Radiocommunications, Search and Rescue, at its tenth session,

 

1. ADOPTS the Performance standards and functional requirements for the long-range identification and tracking of ships, set out in the Annex to the present resolution;

 

2. RECOMMENDS Contracting Governments to the Convention to ensure that:

 

.1 shipborne systems and equipment used to meet the requirements of regulation V/19-1 of the Convention conform to performance standards not inferior to those specified in the Annex to the present resolution;

 

.2 all Long-range identification and tracking (LRIT) Data Centres and the International LRIT Data Exchange conform to functional requirements not inferior to those specified in the Annex to the present resolution; and

 

.3 they promptly submit to the Organization and to the LRIT Data Centres the required information to enable the establishment and the continuous functioning of the LRIT system and that they update such information as and when changes occur;

 

3. AGREES to review and amend, in the light of experience gained as necessary, the Performance standards and functional requirements for the long-range identification and tracking of ships, set out in the Annex to the present resolution.

 

Annex.

PERFORMANCE STANDARDS AND FUNCTIONAL REQUIREMENTS FOR THE LONG-RANGE IDENTIFICATION AND TRACKING OF SHIPS

 

1. Overview

 

1.1 The Long-Range Identification and Tracking (LRIT) system provides for the global identification and tracking of ships.

 

1.2 The LRIT system consists of the shipborne LRIT information transmitting equipment, the Communication Service Provider(s), the Application Service Provider(s), the LRIT Data Centre(s), including any related Vessel Monitoring System(s), the LRIT Data Distribution Plan and the International LRIT Data Exchange. Certain aspects of the performance of the LRIT system are reviewed or audited by an LRIT Co-ordinator acting on behalf of all Contracting Governments. Figure 1 provides an illustration of the LRIT system architecture.

 

 

Figure 1.

 

 

 

1.3 LRIT information is provided to Contracting Governments and Search and rescue services¹ entitled to receive the information, upon request, through a system of National, Regional, Co-operative and International LRIT Data Centres, using where necessary, the LRIT International Data Exchange.

_________________

¹ The term search and rescue service is defined in SOLAS regulation V/2.5 (see amendments to chapter V adopted on 20 May 2004, under cover of resolution MSC.153(78), which will enter into force on 1 July 2006).

 

1.4 Each Administration should provide to the LRIT Data Centre it has selected, a list of the ships entitled to fly its flag, which are required to transmit LRIT information, together with other salient details and should update, without undue delay, such lists as and when changes occur. Ships should only transmit the LRIT information to the LRIT Data Centre selected by their Administration.

 

1.5 The obligations of ships to transmit LRIT information and the rights and obligations of Contracting Governments and of Search and rescue services to receive LRIT information are established in regulation V/19-1 of the 1974 SOLAS Convention.

 

2. Definitions

 

2.1 Unless expressly provided otherwise:

 

.1 Convention means the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea, 1974, as amended.

 

.2 Regulation means a regulation of the Convention.

 

.3 Chapter means a chapter of the Convention.

 

.4 LRIT Data User means a Contracting Government or a Search and rescue service which opts to receive the LRIT information it is entitled to.

 

.5 Committee means the Maritime Safety Committee.

 

.6 High-speed craft means a craft as defined in regulation X/1.3.

 

.7 Mobile offshore drilling unit means a mobile offshore drilling unit as defined in regulation XI-2/1.1.5.

 

.8 Organization means the International Maritime Organization.

 

.9 Vessel Monitoring System means a system established by a Contracting Government or a group of Contracting Governments to monitor the movements of the ships entitled to fly its or their flag. A Vessel Monitoring System may also collect from the ships information specified by the Contracting Government(s) which has established it.

 

.10 LRIT information means the information specified in regulation V/19-1.5.

 

2.2 The term "ship", when used in the present Performance standards and functional requirements for long-range identification and tracking of ships (the Performance standards), includes mobile offshore drilling units and high-speed craft as specified in regulation V/19-1.4.1 and means a ship which is required to transmit LRIT information.

 

2.3 Terms not otherwise defined should have the same meaning as the meaning attributed to them in the Convention.

 

3. General provisions

 

3.1 It should be noted that regulation V/19-1.1 provides that:

 

Nothing in this regulation or the provisions performance standards and functional requirements adopted by the Organization in relation to the long-range identification and tracking of ships shall prejudice the rights, jurisdiction or obligations of States under international law, in particular, the legal regimes of the high seas, the exclusive economic zone, the contiguous zone, the territorial seas or the straits used for international navigation and archipelagic sea lanes.

 

3.2 In operating the LRIT system, recognition should be given to international conventions, agreements, rules or standards that provide for the protection of navigational information.

 

3.3 The present Performance standards should always be read together with regulation V/19-1.

 

4. Shipborne equipment

 

4.1 In addition to the general requirements contained in Assembly resolution A.694(17) on Recommendations on general requirements for shipborne radio equipment forming part of the global maritime distress and safety system (GMDSS) and for electronic navigational aids, the shipborne equipment should comply with the following minimum requirements:

 

.1 be capable of automatically and without human intervention on board the ship transmitting the ship’s LRIT information at 6-hour intervals to an LRIT Data Centre;

 

.2 be capable of being configured remotely to transmit LRIT information at variable intervals;

 

.3 be capable of transmitting LRIT information following receipt of polling commands;

 

.4 interface directly to the shipborne global navigation satellite system equipment, or have internal positioning capability;

 

.5 be supplied with energy from the main and emergency source of electrical power²; and

 

.6 be tested for electromagnetic compatibility taking into account the recommendations³ developed by the Organization.

 

^{____________________________}

² This provision should not apply to ships using for the transmission of LRIT information any of the radio communication equipment provided for compliance with the provisions of chapter IV. In such cases, the shipborne equipment should be provided with sources of energy as specified in regulation IV/13.

 

³ Refer to the Assembly resolution A.813(19) on General requirements for electromagnetic compatibility of all electrical and electronic ship’s equipment.

 

4.2 In addition to the provisions specified in paragraph 4.1 above, the shipborne equipment should provide the functionality specified in table 1.

 

Table 1.
Data to be transmitted from the shipborne equipment

 

 

 

Notes:

 

⁽¹⁾ On-demand position reports means transmission of LRIT information as a result of either receipt of polling command or of remote configuration of the equipment so as to transmit at interval other than the preset ones.

 

⁽²⁾ Pre-scheduled position reports means transmission of LRIT information at the preset transmit intervals.

 

⁽³⁾ All times should be indicated as Universal Co-ordinated Time (UTC).

 

4.3 The shipborne equipment should transmit the LRIT information using a communication system which provides coverage in all areas where the ship operates.

 

4.4 The shipborne equipment should be set to automatically transmit the ship’s LRIT information at 6-hour intervals to the LRIT Data Centre identified by the Administration, unless the LRIT Data User requesting the provision of LRIT information specifies a more frequent transmission interval.

 

5. Application Service Providers

 

5.1 Application Services Provider(s) (ASPs) providing services to:

 

.1 a National LRIT Data Centre, should be recognized by the Contracting Government establishing the centre;

 

.2 a Regional or a Co-operative LRIT Data Centre, should be recognized by the Contracting Governments establishing the centre. In such a case, the arrangements for recognizing the ASPs should be agreed amongst the Contracting Governments establishing the centre; and

 

.3 an International LRIT Data Centre, should be recognized by the Committee.

 

5.2 Contracting Governments should provide to the Organization a list with the names and contact details of the ASPs they recognize together with any associated conditions of recognition and thereafter should, without undue delay, update the Organization as changes occur.

 

5.3 An ASP function should:

 

.1 provide a communication protocol interface between the Communication Service Providers and the LRIT Data Centre to