IMO Says Satellites May Track Ships in Fight Against Terrorism

Published May 18, 2006 12:01 AM by The Maritime Executive

The United Nations’ International Maritime Organization (IMO) has said that it was reviewing new proposals to track potentially suspect ships by satellite to fight terrorism and prevent the transport of weapons of mass destruction on the water.

The IMO’s draft proposal drawn up to enhance marine security, was to be discussed this week at the 10-day meeting at its London headquarters. The idea comes at a time when the world’s maritime community is already staggering under the weight of countless other new security protocols. The International Ship and Port Security (ISPS) code came into effect in July of 2004 and the recent DP World firestorm in the United States has spawned at least a dozen new bills in the U.S. Congress.

Under the new proposals, commercial ships would be required to utilize satellite-based technology to make clear their identity, location, date, and time of the position. If adopted, the new tracking regulations would become mandatory and would be included in the existing Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) Convention. The IMO was clear to note that there should be no interface between the existing system of AIS and the newer Long-Range Identification and Tracking (LRIT) system. AIS and LRIT differ in scope in terms of both range and the fact that AIS is a broadcast system.