The governments of Maldives and India have signed an agreement on Augmenting Marine Safety, Security, and Environment Protection in the region through cooperation in the long-range identification and tracking of ships (LRIT) System.
The agreement was signed by the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation Aishath Nahula and the High Commissioner of India to the Maldives Sunjay Sudhir. The purpose of the agreement is to augment security, safety, and marine environment protection in the region.
As per the agreement, Maldives will be able to utilise the services of the Indian LRIT National Data Centre (NDC) and its LRIT Conformance Tests facility at a no-cost basis, thereby assisting the Maldives to fulfill its obligations as a member of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) related to LRIT without requiring to maintain separate NDC. Both countries agreed to identify areas of co-operation in maritime assistance service, marine contingency management systems, and capacity building in the related matters through mutual training programmes, experience, and knowledge sharing.
LRIT was established as an international system in 2006 by the IMO and it is mandatory for all governments which have contracted to the IMO. The system provides for the global identification and tracking of ships to enhance the security of shipping and for safety and marine environment protection. It collects and disseminates vessel position information received from the ships of IMO member states that are subject to the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea.
The Indian government stated the signing of the LRIT agreement is another example of the two countries working together for shared interests, particularly on issues of security and economic benefit.