2000000 · UK public procurement notice

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) is responsible for the implementation of the SOLAS Convention within the UK, which involves, under Chapter V, maintaining an LRIT Data Centre for use by UK flagged vessels.

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 that are subject to the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS).

The requirements concerning LRIT are located in 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", the organisation in this context meaning the International Maritime Organisation (IMO). Such "other purposes" would include Search and Rescue (SAR).

The requirement is for all passenger ships including high speed craft, cargo ships of 300 gross tonnage and above, mobile offshore drilling units to automatically transmit every 6 hours the identity of the ship, the position report and data and time of the position. This information should be received by a data centre owned by the appropriate flag-state.

Further IMO resolutions also established performance standards for LRIT Data Centres, which any UK system must conform to.