needing seven to 10 new cruise ships every year, the national classifier considered the time ripe to introduce its own standards.
From the looks of it, no real revolution is expected here: the Chinese standards aim to emphasise passenger safety, define requirements for the cruise experience and ensure public health – much like its Western counterparts.
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It is possible that cyber certification will soon become a legal requirement.
CYBER PIRATES ON HIGH SEAS?
The trying times give the classification societies opportunities to work on their processes and learn new technologies. One new area is cyber-safety on the seas. In recent years, cyber-attacks have become more frequent and more sophisticated, with the threat becoming a board level preoccupation for the marine sector.
Cyber security is becoming an increasingly important element of the risk profile of critical assets that are connected between ship and shore. The Baltic and International Maritime Council( BIMCO), the International Maritime Organization( IMO) and the United States Coast Guard( USCG) are all developing guidance and regulation to address these challenges.
Lloyd’ s Register announced a collaboration with cyber expert QinetiQ in September 2016 with an aim of increasing the level of security of cyber-enabled ships. A photo: LLOYD’ S REGISTER EMEA pilot project with GasLog, an international owner, operator and manager of LNG carriers, seeks to tailor methodologies for LNG vessels.
TOTAL SYSTEMS APPROACH
Lloyd’ s Register is bringing its technical expertise and understanding of system-level risk to the project in order to support maritime customers and other stakeholders in assuring their cyber security. QinetiQ, having been an advisor for Royal Navy for decades, has plenty of maritime consultancy capability with regards to cyber security.
The collaboration aims at developing robust methodologies for readiness against existing and emerging standards, vulnerability and impact assessment and mitigation measures, all tailor-made for the maritime sector and the specific needs of customers.
Nick Brown, Lloyd Register’ s Marine & Offshore Director, has commented that a“ total systems” approach is required in dealing with cyber issues. This means taking into account all systems on board and on shore – how they are designed and installed, how they connect, and how they will be managed.
ROBOSHIPS ON THE HORIZON
“ Globally one can say that shipyards are facing challenges and this is naturally reflected in the classification societies’ business,” says Niklas Rönnberg from Lloyd’ s Register.
Presently, there are number of factors putting pressure on the maritime industry to increase its focus on cyber security. It is possible that cyber certification will soon become a legal requirement for entering some territorial waters.
Furthermore, increased internet connectivity at sea may enlarge the window
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