The Maritime Safety Committee (MSC) of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) has appointed the International Mobile Satellite Organization (IMSO) as the LRIT Coordinator, following the entry into force of new SOLAS Regulation V/19-1, Long-range identification and tracking of ships (LRIT), and adopted Resolution MSC 275(85), Appointment of the LRIT Coordinator, in this regard.
IMO has, in addition, adopted resolution MSC.263(84): Revised Performance Standards and Functional Requirements for the Long-Range Identification and Tracking of Ships which provides, inter alia, that:
17.3 Subject to the provisions of the national legislation of the Contracting Government concerned, search and rescue services should provide information when requested by the LRIT Coordinator to enable the holistic review of the performance of the LRIT system and for the investigation of any disputes.
In addition, MSC.1/Circ.1338: Guidance to Search and Rescue Services in Relation to Requesting and Receiving LRIT Information refers, inter alia, that:
12.2 SAR services are expected to maintain the necessary records identifying the cases for which they have requested the provision of LRIT information; what information they have requested and when, what LRIT information they have received and when; and how the information was used.
12.2.1 Such records may form part of the operational records maintained by the SAR services.
12.2.2 SAR services should note that all LRIT Data Centres are required to archive LRIT information for at least one year and until such time as the Committee reviews and accepts the annual report of the audit of their performance by the LRIT Coordinator. Thus, SAR services are expected to retain the related records until the Committee reviews and accepts the annual report of the audit of their performance of the LRIT Data Centre providing services to them.
12.3 SAR services are also expected to provide, when requested by the LRIT Coordinator, information on the arrangements they have in place in order to protect the LRIT information they may receive from unauthorized access or disclosure.