Hi-tech system to track Gulf ships

Bahrain and its GCC neighbors are beefing up coastal security with a new, hi-tech system to track ships.

The global tracking system will also enable countries to pinpoint their own commercial ships anywhere in the world, at any time. It will also help in search-and-rescue operations by giving instant information on shipping in the area. New International Maritime Organization (IMO) regulations mean ships will have to be fitted with a Long-Range Identification and Tracking (LRIT) system that will allow them to be tracked 1,000 miles from the coastline. "LRIT increases the transparency of vessels sailing the high seas on international voyages," said Bahrain's General Organization of Sea Ports Deputy chairman Eid Abdulla. "It provides for the detection, classification, identification and tracking of co-operative vessels to enable improved maritime domain awareness and a general understanding of vessel traffic in specific areas of interest." The LRIT system will entitle governments who have adopted the new regulations to be entitled to receive reports on identification and position of ships registered to that member state, wherever the ship is located. All of this information will be received, upon request, through a system of national, regional, co-operative and international LRIT Data Centres using, where necessary, the LRIT International Data Exchange. The ship-to-ship range of AIS is 10 to 15 nautical miles, while ship-to-shore is 20 to 30 nautical miles.
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