The Contracting Governments to the International Convention
for the Safety of Life at Sea, 1974 as amended have agreed,
solely for the convenience and the efficient functioning of the LRIT
system and in order to enable the provision of the LRIT information
they are entitled to request and receive, that, in lieu of providing
precise geographical coordinate points defining waters landward
of the baselines and/or the territorial sea they have established
in accordance with international law, to provide instead simplified
approximations of waters on the landward side of the baselines which
are navigated by ships which are required to comply with the
provisions of regulation V/19-1 and of the territorial sea and of
their coastlines.
The geographical information provided in the LRIT Data Distribution
Plan are unilateral declarations of the Contracting Governments
concerned and have been entered or uploaded by Contracting
Governments themselves or have been entered or uploaded by the Secretariat
on the expressed request of the Contracting Government concerned.
The geographical information so provided does not
imply any right or obligation of individual Contracting Government
other than for the sole purpose of complying with provisions of regulation V/19-1. Their use by the
LRIT system does not constitute any form of recognition or acceptance
by the other Contracting Governments.
The geographical information provided shall not be
interpreted or considered as supporting or prejudicing the position
of Contracting Governments in relation to land or maritime claims
or land or maritime sovereignty disputes.
The Contracting Governments have further agreed that
none of the data or information provided in relation to the
geographical areas defined in the LRIT Data Distribution Plan shall
prejudice the rights, jurisdiction or obligations of States
under international law, in particular relating to, the continental
shelf, the legal regimes of the high seas, the exclusive economic
zone, the contiguous zone, the territorial seas, internal
waters or the straits used for international navigation and
archipelagic sea lanes.
The International Maritime Organization is making available
through the LRIT Data Distribution Plan server the geographical
information provided by the Contracting Government at their request
and this does not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on
the part of the Secretariat of the International Maritime Organization
concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city
or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its
frontiers or boundaries.