Inaugurate address Mr George Michaelides
Commissioner of Electronic Communications & Postal Regulation ( OCECPR ) Republic of Cyprus
Distinguished guests , Ladies and Gentlemen
It is with great pleasure that I am speaking to you today , at the 3rd CYpBER Maritime - Oil & Gas conference , and I would like to thank the organisers for this opportunity .
The maritime as well as the oil and gas industries are of major importance to Cyprus , and it is evident to all that this importance has grown tremendously over the past few years , at the strategic and political levels . At the same time , cybersecurity concerns have been growing and much emphasis is being given in many countries across the globe , to improve cyber defences and to ensure that critical national infrastructures are resilient and able to operate securely in our hyper-connected world .
Secure development of information infrastructures in the maritime and oil & gas sectors is absolutely critical , so that stakeholders and investors can gain the necessary confidence in developing their operations . Both sectors are facing the challenge to safely embrace modern information and communication technologies in their systems . The Cyprus government aims to work with , and support all stakeholders including the maritime and energy sectors , in achieving their goals and enhance security levels in the provisioning of their services .
As you may realize , the shipping sector is experiencing a paradigm-shifting digitalisation process . However , the growing reliance on automation and the increased usage of computer systems for navigation , reporting formalities of ships , container inspection , rapid loading and unloading of cargo at ports as well as the exchange of information with authorities and service providers , is easily exposed to cyber threats . This means that appropriate security controls should be implemented to protect information and data pertaining to a ship , its crew , passengers and cargo .
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