Long Range Identification & Tracking (LRIT)

Home The Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) Convention Chapter V, Regulation 19-1 (SOLAS V/19-1), makes LRIT mandatory for passenger ships, including high speed craft, cargo ships of 300GT and above and MODU (rigs). Ships must automatically report their identity, date & time and position 4 times daily, Ships constructed after 31st December 2008 must be fitted with LRIT equipment, Ships constructed before then will be phased in depending on their operational area. Ships approved for GMDSS sea areas A1 & A2 or A2 & A3 must comply no later than the first radio survey after 31st December 2008; Ships operating in Sea Area A4 must comply no later than the first radio survey after 1st July 2009.

Ships operating only in sea area A1 and fitted with Automatic Identification System (AIS) are exempted. Ships operating in near-coastal Sea Area A2 not fitted with Inmarsat C GMDSS will be required to fit a compliant terminal. Ships operating in polar Sea Area A4 above 70 degrees latitude will require a non-Inmarsat terminal that operates in conjunction with a low-earth orbit Communication Service Provider (CSP) approved by the Flag in conjunction with its appointed Application Service Provider (ASP).

St. Kitts & Nevis International Ship Registry (SKANReg) has contracted with the following Commercial Service Provider to operate our National Data Centre. Any questions regarding interaction with our National Data Centre, should be sent to Securewest with a cc to SKANReg.

Securewest International Inc
420 North Center Drive,
Bldg 11, Suite 206,
Norfolk, Virginia 23502
USA
Tel: +1 757 461 4343
Fax: + 1 757 461 8666
Email:
Contact:
Contact:
Website: www.securewest.com

Authorised Service Providers (ASP) for the conformance testing of ship's LRIT equipment are currently as follows:

Ship owners should contact any of these ASP’s for conformance testing of their LRIT equipment. The ASP will test the equipment. There will be a fee involved for this that will have to be paid by the Owners to the ASP. The ASP will issue a Conformance Certificate to the ship with a copy to us. SKANReg do not issue the Conformance Certificate, this is issued by the ASP.

When the first Safety Radio Survey after 31st December 2008 is carried out, the Recognised Organisation (Class Society) will check that the equipment is operating satisfactorily and that it has been set up to transmit the position of the ship 4 times daily to Securewest as our National Data Centre. Therefore, at least 7 days before the date of the Safety Radio Survey, owners should send an email to Securewest advising them of the date of the Radio Survey so that Securewest can remotely turn on the LRIT equipment (Poll the equipment) and start it transmitting the ships position.

The same instructions apply for any ships flagging into SKANReg.

We will accept a Conformance Test carried out for another flag by one of the ASP’s we have authorised when a ship flags into SKANReg. If a ship coming onto our flag does not have a Conformance Test Certificate issued by one of our recognised ASP’s, the owner will have to get one from one of our authorised ASP’s.

Exemption from the requirements of LRIT

Although the provisions of regulation V/19-1 do not include any expressed provisions which allow or enable an Administration to grant exemptions from, or equivalents to, the requirement to transmit LRIT information, in exceptional circumstances this Administration may be prepared to grant an exemption for a single voyage from the requirements from SOLAS V/19-1 subject to the following recommendations contained within IMO Circular MSC.1/Circ.1295.
1) The ship is to provide a copy of the voyage or passage plan for the specific voyage to:
i. The Recognised Organisation (Class) responsible for issuing the SOLAS Certification
ii. The Contracting Government within whose jurisdiction the port or place to which the ship is proceeding to is located and
iii. To the Contracting Governments of the coast of which the ship might be navigating and
iv. d. any changes thereto; OR

2) Report its position at 6 – hourly intervals during the voyage, to the aforesaid Contracting Governments.

Ship Owners & Operators wishing to be exempted from the requirements of SOLAS V/19-1 are not required to apply to this Administration for the Exemption mentioned above, but should apply direct and provide evidence of compliance with the above to the Recognised Organisation(s) and/or authorised Surveyors of Ships responsible for carrying out surveys and issuing certification for the voyage in question.


Application to become a Testing Application Service Provider (ASP)

To respond to the technical aspects of LRIT, equipment conformance testing has to be undertaken according to IMO Circular MSC.1/Circ.1296 (as approved at MSC 84). To this end, Application Service Providers (ASPs) can become authorized testing ASPs as meeting the requirements to carry out conformance testing in accordance with the aforementioned Circular.

St. Kitts & Nevis uses the following process whereby ASPs may apply for approval to become an authorized testing ASP for St. Kitts & Nevis. 1) Written request (a letter on ASP headed paper, which can be sent by email) from the ASP, requesting to become an authorized testing ASP, must be sent to the Head Office of St. Kitts & Nevis International Ship Registry, marked for the attention of the International Registrar. Such letter must contain the following:
i. An indication of the testing process;
ii. Verification that the testing process complies with MSC.1/Circ.1296 and provision of sample test documentation;
iii. List of other Administrations the ASP has been authorized by;
iv. Copy of any QA or similar certifciation
v. Applicants should download and comply with the atached Due Dilligence requirements 'COMPLIANCE AND DUE DILIGENCE REQUIREMENTS.doc"'

2) Once received, the documentation and process provided by the potential testing ASP will be verified against MSC.1/Circ.1307 or any update to this Circular and St. Kitts & Nevis’ own internal procedures.
3) Once the review is complete, the potential authorized testing ASP shall be notified of the result of the review by and if successful, sent an Authorisation Certificate. Note: The review and certificate issuing process can take up to 3 months.
4) If successful, indication of the authorized testing ASP shall be provided to IMO by St. Kitts & Nevis.

Pertinent IMO Documents on LRIT

IMO Resolution MSC.202(81) – LRIT Regulation

IMO Resolution MSC.202(81) – LRIT Timely Establishment

IMO Resolution MSC.242(83) – Safety & Environment

IMO Resolution MSC.263(84) – Revised performance standards and functional requirements for the LRIT of Ships

IMO Resolution MSC.264(84) – Established of the International Data Exchange on an interim basis

IMO Circular MSC.1/Circ.1294 – Technical Documentation (Part II)

IMO Circular MSC.1/Circ.1295 – Guidance in relation to certain types of ships which are required to transmit LRIT information, on exemptions and equivalents and on certain operation matters

IMO Circular MSC.1/Circ.1298 – Guidance on the implementation of the LRIT system [replaces - 1256 revoked]

IMO Circular MSC.1/Circ.1299 – Transitional Arrangements and Measures for Accelerating the Completion of the Establishment of the LRIT System

IMO Circular MSC.1/Circ.1307 – Guidance on the survey and certification of compliance of ships with the requirement to transmit LRIT information [replaces - 1296 revoked].

IMO Circular MSC.1/Circ.1308 –Guidance to search and rescue services in relation to requesting and receiving LRIT information [replaces - 1297 revoked].