Appendix – Governance of the LRIT system
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Statutory Documents - IMO Publications and Documents - Circulars - Maritime Safety Committee - MSC.1/Circular.1376 Rev.2 – Continuity of Service Plan for the LRIT System – (21 November 2014) - Appendix – Governance of the LRIT system

Appendix – Governance of the LRIT system

  1 The LRIT system, as an international operational system, requires a formalized governance structure. There have been and will be issues surrounding the operation of the LRIT system which have and will require immediate decisions or actions in order to safeguard the system. There are numerous issues that the system could face, from when to disconnect an LRIT Data Centre (DC) from the International LRIT Data Exchange (IDE), to how to test the modification testing of new schemas, to whether a new message or function should be added to the system, and so on. Some of these issues would require immediate action, others more analysis, and still others a high-level management decision.

  2 To address these varying types of issues, four different governance levels are defined, as follows:

  • .1 Immediate decision: The various components of the LRIT system are being continuously monitored by their individual operators. Under specific circumstances, the IDE, the LRIT Data Distribution Plan (DDP) server and DCs operators must be required to make immediate decisions in order to resolve the issue and stabilize the component concerned.

  • .2 Operational governance: After the immediate decision has been made, and if the system cannot be returned by the operators to normal operation within 24 hours, then the LRIT Operational governance body, as defined below, must be engaged to make the decision as to the best way to proceed.

  • .3 Change control: The architecture, design, and operation of the LRIT system is defined under the framework of SOLAS regulation V/19-1, the Revised performance standards (resolution MSC.263(84), as amended) and the Technical specifications for the LRIT system (MSC.1/Circ.1259 and MSC.1/Circ.1294, as revised). SOLAS regulation V/19-1 and the Revised performance standards are within the purview of the Committee. The Technical specifications for the LRIT system can be amended and accepted, on a provisional basis, by the NCSR Sub-Committee, and subject to consideration and adoption of the related amendment(s) by the Committee.

  • .4 Management: The Maritime Safety Committee is the management body for the entire LRIT system. Any relevant issue must be reported periodically to the Committee, which would have to consider the issue and decide the most appropriate action(s).

  LRIT Operational governance body

  3 The LRIT Operational governance body consists of a representative of the IDE, a representative of the disaster recovery site of the IDE and a representative from the IMO Secretariat.

  4 In case the LRIT system faces an emergency situation or a malicious attack, the LRIT Operational governance body should determine the actions to be taken so as to best protect the system, contain the propagation of the problem(s) to other components of the system, ensure continuity of service and restore normal operations.

  5 The LRIT Operational governance body may also make relevant technical recommendations with the view to improving the efficiency, effectiveness and security of the LRIT system. Any relevant outcomes or recommendations made by the OGB should be reported to the NCSR Sub-Committee through the Secretariat.

  6 The composition of the LRIT Operational governance body could be reviewed in future. For the effective and efficient operation of this body, its membership needs to be relatively small, organization members are preferable to individual persons, and it must reach decisions by consensus. This body should always contain a representative from the IDE and the IDE disaster recovery site, since the IDE is a critical central component of the system, and a representative from the Secretariat. The requirement for other member(s) needs further discussion.

  7 The LRIT Operational governance body also needs to meet periodically (potentially bi-weekly via teleconference, if necessary) to discuss the operation of the system and to ensure that all operational issues are being addressed.

Parent topic: MSC.1/Circular.1376 Rev.2 – Continuity of Service Plan for the LRIT System – (21 November 2014)
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