Legal Basis
LRIT CDC - Legal Basis
The requirements concerning LRIT have been introduced into SOLAS, Chapter V ("Safety of Navigation"), Regulation 19-1. In accordance with Paragraph 8.1 of Regulation 19-1, "Contracting Governments shall be able to receive long-range identification and tracking information about ships for security and other purposes as agreed by the Organization". Such "other purposes" would for instance include Search and Rescue (SAR), as explicitly mentioned in the new SOLAS provisions, as well as maritime safety in general and marine environment protection purposes as agreed by Resolution MSC 242(83) adopted on 12 October 2007. The IMO LRIT requires that all passenger ships including high speed craft, cargo ships of 300 gross tonnage and above, mobile offshore drilling units should automatically transmit every 6 hours the identity of the ship, the position report and data and time of the position.
Furthermore, IMO also adopted on 19 May 2006, Resolution MSC 210 (81) amended and modified by MSC 254(83) which establishes performance standards and functional requirements for the LRIT of ships. This states that all LRIT Data Centres and the LRIT International Data Exchange should conform to functional requirements not inferior to those specified in the Annex to the Resolution.
The performance standards were then revised through Resolution MSC 263(84) adopted on May 2008 - Revised performance Standards and functional requirements for the LRIT of ships (this revokes MSC 210(81), MSC 254(83)). The system specifies that 4 position messages per day are stored and available for those actors entitled to access the LRIT information. The international LRIT system receives, stores and disseminates LRIT information on behalf of all Contracting SOLAS Governments.
The list of documents below provides an indication of some of the relevant legal texts. More information can be found on the relevant page of the IMO website:
Reference | Title | Adopted |
Circ. Letter No. 3306 | LRIT-Addition of polling functionalities to the distribution facility to allow the security forces to identify the current position of ships approaching areas of high risk of piracy attack | 03/09/2013 |
MSC.1/Circ.1259/Rev.5 | Long Range Identification and Tracking System – Technical Documentation (Part I) | 28/05/2012 |
MSC.1/Circ.1294/Rev.3 | Long Range Identification and Tracking System – Technical Documentation (Part II) | 28/05/2012 |
MSC.1/Circ.1376/Rev.1 | Continuity of service plan for the LRIT system | 28/05/2012 |
MSC.1/Circ.1412 | Principles and guidelines relating to the review and audit of the performance of LRIT Data Centres and the International LRIT Data Exchange | 28/05/2012 |
MSC.1/Circ 1338 | Guidance to Search and Rescue Services in Relation to Requesting and Receiving LRIT Information | 01/03/2011 |
Resolution MSC.298(87) | Establishment of the International LRIT Data Exchange | 21/05/2010 |
Resolution MSC.298(87) | Establishment of a Distribution Facility for the Provision of LRIT Information to Security Forces operating in waters of the Gulf of Aden and the Western Indian Ocean to Aid their work in the repression of piracy and armed robbery against ships (The Distribution facility) | 21/05/2010 |
MSC.1/Circ.12594/rev3 | LRIT-Technical Documentation (Part I) | 21/05/2010 |
MSC.1/Circ.1309 | Information communicated to the organization in relation to the establishment of LRIT Data Centres | 09/06/2009 |
MSC.1/Circ.1308 | Guidance to SAR services in relation to requesting and receiving LRIT information (revoking MSC/Circ 1297) | 09/06/2009 |
MSC.1/Circ.1307 | Guidance on the survey and certification of compliance of ships with the requirements to transmit LRIT information (revoking MSC/Circ 1296) | 09/06/2009 |
DDP-GN-01 | LRIT DDP Guidelines | 22/4/2009 |
MSC.1/Circ.1298 | Guidance on the implementation of the LRIT system (revoking MSC/Circ 1256) | 09/12/2008 |
MSC.1/Circ.1295 | Guidance in relation to certain types of ships which are required to transmit LRIT information, on exemtions and equivalents and on certain operation matters | 09/12/2008 |
2913rd TTE Council Meeting | Council Resolution concerning the EU LRIT DC | 09/12/2008 |
Resolution MSC. 276(85) |
Operation of the International LRIT Data Exchange on an interim basis | 05/12/2008 |
Resolution MSC.275(85) |
Appointment of the LRIT Coordinator | 05/12/2008 |
Resolution MSC.264(84) |
Establishment of the International LRIT Data Exchange on an interim basis | 16/05/2008 |
Resolution MSC.263(84) | Revised performance Standards and functional requirements for the LRIT of ships (revoking MSC.210(81), MSC.254(83)) | 16/05/2008 |
Resolution MSC.242(83) | Use of LRIT for Maritime Safety and Environment protection purposes | 12/10/2007 |
2821st TTE Council meeting | EU Council Resolution dated 2 October 2007 | 02/10/2007 |
Resolution MSC.202(81) | Adoption of amendments to the international convention for safety of life at sea, 1974, as amended | 19/05/2006 |
Resolution MSC.211(81) | Arrangements for the timely establishment of the long-range identification and tracking system | 19/05/2006 |
Resolution A.887(21) | Establishment, updating and retrieval of the information contained in the registration databases for the global maritime distress and safety system (GMDSS) | 25/11/1999 |