Long Range Identification and Tracking (LRIT)

LRIT is a closed system aimed for contracting government such as: Coastal State; Flag State; Port State; and SAR Authorities. Other national public authorities are also users of the system.

The UN's International Maritime Organization (IMO) has decided that the LRIT requirements apply to ships engaged on international voyages as follows:

1. Passenger ships, including high-speed passenger craft,
2. Cargo ships, including high-speed craft, of 300 GT, and
3. Mobile offshore drilling units.

Ship LRIT Reporting and equipment

• All ships over 300 gross tonnes that are registered to operate in international waters (meaning outside A1 area) are required to possess an LRIT certificate (LRIT Conformance Test Report). Military and fishing vessels are exempt from this rule.
• For the initial registration of new LRIT ships, or for a change of ship's flag or LRIT shipborne equipment, the LRIT unit must be checked by an authorized Application Service Provider (ASP).
• The LRIT certificate is in practice an approval that the LRIT equipment on board functions properly. This approval is based on tests carried out by an ASP (Application Service Provider) who quality assures that the LRIT equipment on board the ship is able to transmit data every six hours a day and over a period of 48 hours.
• The Norwegian Maritime Directorate has approved eight ASPs in Norway: https://www.sjofartsdir.no/ .

The LRIT system consists of main elements such as the ship borne LRIT information transmitting equipment, Communications Service Providers (CSPs), Application Service Providers (ASPs), LRIT Data Centers (DC), including any related Vessel Monitoring System(s) (VMSs), the IMO LRIT Data Distribution Plan (DDP) and the International LRIT Data Exchange (IDE). The system uses satellites communication such as: Inmarsat C; Inmarsat mini C; Iridium; Inmarsat D+, etc.