Maritime Safety

To ensure maritime safety, the Coast Guard Service controls compliance with the shipping regime in Latvian waters. The Coast Guard Service also performs the functions of a national communications and control center in accordance with the requirements of the International Ship and Port Facility Security Code (ISPS). In addition, the Coast Guard Service checks and analyzes the information provided by the security of each ship that is about to enter a Latvian port, as specified in SOLAS-74 (International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea) Chapter XI-2, Regulation 9.2. In cases where incomplete or false information is received, which creates the possibility of various types of risks, the information is checked and all involved institutions and persons are informed.

The ISPS Code is an international ship and port facility security code applicable to ships that perform international voyages, as well as to Latvian port facilities that provide international transportation. The Coast Guard Service performs the functions of a communication point, which, if necessary, provides information on security issues to ships (Latvian flag ships, ships operating in Latvian territorial waters, or ships that have notified their intention to enter territorial waters).

The competent authority for ensuring the operation of the ship security alert communication network in Latvia is the Coast Guard Service.

The EU LRIT is a Long-Range Identification and Tracking System for ships, the main purpose of which is to identify and track ships in cases where the ship is at risk of security or other risks. The LRIT national 24/7 contact point in Latvia is the Coast Guard Service of the Navy. The contact point represents a government institution responsible for determining the users of the LRIT Data Centre and their access rights and coordinating users in the relevant country. All Member States have access to the LRIT Information Repository and a common interface with the International Data Exchange (IDE) system for requesting LRIT information on ships registered in other data centres.