Welcome back to another week of tech insights in maritime. This week, we’re doing something different; rather than sharing insights from an industry expert, I’m sharing insights from two!

I recently watched a fantastic webinar hosted by CMA on cybersecurity in maritime. This insightful conversation focused on how the adoption of Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites has fundamentally changed the cybersecurity landscape in vessel operations. 

Nick Chubb chaired the session with Philip Bannerman, VP of Sales for the Americas for Marlink, sharing his expertise on connectivity and security solutions in maritime and Youri Hart, VP of Products and Solutions for Marlink. This pivotal discussion revealed both the technical vulnerabilities and human error challenges that are evolving in vessel cybersecurity.

It seemed only yesterday that Elon Musk announced his ambitious plan to launch a network of LEO’s and provide global internet coverage for everyone. Fast forward to today, major shipping giants like Anglo Eastern, Carnival Corp and Holland America Lines are sailing with Starlink onboard. 

Here's an uncomfortable truth: Most maritime IT leaders are making million-dollar decisions based on gut feeling and vendor promises. But what if you could know exactly how your technology spending compares to similar shipping companies?

The Thetius IT Cost Benchmarking Club gives you that insight. We don't just analyse your IT costs - we anonymously benchmark them against your peers, measure system performance, and identify opportunities for optimisation. Whether you're spending too much or not enough, we'll give you the data to prove it.

Stop wondering if you're getting a good deal. It’s time to know for certain.

Check it out here

The industry is rapidly shifting from ‘How do I get connected?’ to ‘How do I protect myself?’ Phillip explained: "Today we find that most people have deployed Starlink and now they're facing up to this reality of how do I protect all my data, how do I protect the crew, so discussions moved very much more towards cyber."

To address the need for enhanced cyber resilience on ships, last year IACS published UR E26 ‘Cyber Resilience of Ships’, and UR E27, ‘Cyber Resilience of On-Board Systems and Equipment’, which applied to new ships from 1 January 2024.

While these new regulations are fantastic for enforcing cyber awareness and resiliency planning, these new requirements are only relevant to newbuilds. This leaves all the pre-2024 vessels (making up around 99% of the global fleet) free to roam the seas with no requirement to adhere to these new regulations. Joeri summed up this disparity with the question on everyone’s lips: "Why does my new build vessel with that regulation have to have so many security settings and my old vessel doesn't have to have that?" 

While the increase in crew connectivity and access is fantastic for morale onboard, it can be a double-edged sword. The insider-threat risk of a crew member unknowingly downloading malware or accidentally clicking on a malicious link has significantly increased, along with the potential impact of a breach. 

So, how can you protect your fleet? Prevention is key! Shipping companies must ensure their IT infrastructure is robust enough to withstand cyber threats. Joeri explained, "If one single user can bring down your entire company, then your entire IT infrastructure and security are not set up in the first instance."

While we are all out there exploring how AI can improve processes and streamline workflows, criminals are doing the same. The growing use of AI in cyberattacks is becoming increasingly common. "We all know in the past, you get a phishing email with a lot of typo errors. Well, that's the thing of the past, because Chat GPT… we have perfectly written English emails." 

In the past, cyber threats have often been seen as an unlikely risk. But with the sharp advancements in technology and increased vessel connectivity, the harsh reality is that the likelihood of a critical cyber attack on your organisation increases by the day. 

The impact of a cyber attack can be more damaging to your company’s reputation than it is to costs or operations and yet often, the risk isn’t taken seriously.

And that’s all for another week of all things tech in maritime. We’ll be back next week with another industry interview…or maybe a webinar…you’ll have to come back to find out! Ailsa