Posted: June 27, 2008

LRIT requirements take effect at end of 2008 for some vessels

Under a final rulemaking on the long range identification and tracking (LRIT) of ships published earlier this year, the U.S. Coast Guard LRIT requirements will take effect at the end of 2008 for some vessels.

The rule will require certain ships on international voyages to transmit position information using LRIT equipment. The types of ships that will be required to transmit position reports include passenger ships, including high-speed passenger craft, that carry more than 12 passengers; cargo ships, including high-speed craft, of 300 gross tons or more; and self-propelled mobile offshore drilling units.

The Coast Guard implemented the final rule with the stated intent of correlating LRIT data with data from other sources, detecting anomalies and heightening overall maritime domain awareness under the authority of the Maritime Transportation Security Act of 2002. The rulemaking implements the convention on Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) V/19-1 and sets these requirements:

• A U.S.-flagged ship engaged on an international voyage must transmit position reports wherever it is located
• A foreign-flagged ship engaged on an international voyage must transmit position reports after the ship has announced its intention to enter a U.S. port or certain other places in the U.S.
• A foreign-flagged ship engaged on an international voyage must transmit position reports when the ship is within 1,000 nautical miles of the baseline of the U.S., unless their flag administration, under the authority of SOLAS, has directed them not to do so

Exemptions noted by the Coast Guard include:

• A ship fitted with an operating automatic identification system (AIS) and operating only within 20 nautical miles of the U.S. baseline
• Warships, naval auxiliaries or other ships owned or operated by a SOLAS-contracting government and used only in non-commercial government service
• A ship solely navigating the Great Lakes and their connecting and tributary waters as far east as the lower exit of the St. Lambert Lock at Montreal, Quebec

Under the rulemaking, ships must be fitted with LRIT equipment:

• Before getting underway, if the ship is constructed on or after Dec. 31, 2008
• By the first survey of the radio installation after Dec. 31, 2008, if the ship was constructed prior to Dec. 31, 2008, and operates within 100 nautical miles of the U.S. baseline, the range of an INMARSAT geostationary satellite or other application service provider recognized by the administration, with which continuous alerting is available
• By the first survey of the radio installation after July 1, 2009, if the ship was constructed before Dec. 31, 2008, and operates both within and outside 100 nautical miles of the U.S. baseline, the range of an INMARSAT geostationary satellite or other application service provider recognized by the administration, with which continuous alerting is available; however, "those ships must meet the earlier deadline if they operate within that area or range on or before the first survey of the ship's radio installation after July 1, 2009"

According to the Coast Guard, "the equipment necessary to transmit LRIT data is not a new carriage requirement under this rule. With few exceptions, ships required to transmit LRIT information will not need to purchase new LRIT equipment. The affected U.S.-flag vessel population is already required to carry the requisite GMDSS equipment onboard, as defined in 47 CFR part 80."

The Coast Guard estimates that approximately 15 percent of affected U.S.-flag vessels may need some type of equipment enhancement.

For more information on the LRIT rulemaking, contact William Cairns, Coast Guard Office of Navigation Systems, at (202) 372-1557 or by .