The objective of the EU LRIT DC is to identify and track EU flagged vessels worldwide and integrate them into the wider international LRIT system. 

What it does

The system was initially set-up for the purposes of maritime security, but was soon extended for use in areas such as Search and Rescue (SAR), maritime safety and protection of the marine environment. Ships send automatic position reports every 6 hours, which are received by satellite, and securely transferred to data centres which manage LRIT information on behalf of Flag States. The European Union Data Centre (EU LRIT DC) disseminates LRIT information on EU-flagged ships around the world on behalf of all European flag States, and exchanges information with other data centres around the world. Through its interconnection with other data centres, the EU LRIT DC can provide Member State users, on request, with the LRIT information of any third country vessel bound to, or sailing within, EU waters. This information is available to authorised users whenever a vessel is within 1,000 nautical miles of the coast of the flag State.  The EU LRIT DC is one of the largest data centres in the LRIT system. It tracks over 8,000 ships per day.