Submitted by Lt. Cmdr. Marlon Heron, Lt.j.g. John Busby, and Mr. Darryl Randolph, U.S. Coast Guard Navigation Center

The Long Range Identification and Tracking (LRIT) system is a designated International Maritime Organization (IMO) system designed to collect and disseminate vessel position information received from IMO member States’ ships. LRIT must be carried on any ship that is engaged in an international voyage and falls into the following categories:

• All passenger ships
• Cargo ships of 300 gross tons or more
• Mobile offshore drilling units

LRIT provides satellite-based, real-time position reporting capabilities. Any ship transiting within 1,000 nautical miles of the U.S. coast or bound for a U.S. port (engaging in international voyages) must be equipped with LRIT.

The Coast Guard maintains the U.S. National Data Center. The Navigation Center operates the NDC interface called the Business Help Desk and is responsible for monitoring LRIT vessel reporting requirements. According to the LRIT international guidelines, the default LRIT ship-reporting rate is every six hours through a ship’s LRIT terminal.

LRIT plays an important role in Maritime Domain Awareness. Countries that fall under the purview of the SOLAS convention can share the necessary marine security information along with all other required information about the ships that sail through the countries’ coastal boundaries.

Has your LRIT equipped vessel reported in the last six hours?

NAVCEN, in collaboration with the Office of Commercial Vessel Compliance, developed a program to identify vessels that have not reported their LRIT status and are not in compliance with 33 CFR §169.230. Once notified, local Coast Guard units enforce the LRIT reporting requirement.

If you are an LRIT vessel operator and have a question about your status, please contact the NAVCEN through the website or at 703-313-5900.

Submit an LRIT Problem Report.

Request an LRIT Conformance Test. 

Review LRIT reference documents.

LRIT Frequently Asked Questions.

NAVCEN Long Range Identification and Tracking (LRIT) system receiver.

This blog is not a replacement or substitute for the formal posting of regulations and updates or existing processes for receiving formal feedback of the same. Links provided on this blog will direct the reader to official source documents, such as the Federal Register, Homeport and the Code of Federal Regulations. These documents remain the official source for regulatory information published by the Coast Guard.