MARITIME CYBER SECURITY Archives - Page 6 of 40 - SHIP IP LTD

Powered by satellite radar imagery and machine learning, the map layer is updated daily within the main Global Fishing Watch map application. The portal is available for free to anyone in the world with an internet connection, helping arm authorities, researchers and the public alike with the power to monitor vessel activity in all coastal waters, identify dark fleet patterns and build the necessary understanding to quantify threats to the ocean. The user-friendly new map layer helps create equitable access to marine-related data in time for World Ocean Day on June 8.

The lack of information pertaining to how and where vessels are fishing has clouded our understanding of the true global footprint of fishing activity. This makes meaningful change difficult. To see these impacts, satellite radar technology, known as synthetic aperture radar (SAR), functions day and night in all types of weather and can generate imagery despite cloud cover or storm systems, resulting in detection capabilities that are significantly advanced over other satellite-mounted sensors.

“It is surprising how little we have known to date about the true scale of human activity on the water,” said David Kroodsma, director of research and innovation at Global Fishing Watch. “If you combine vessels that intentionally shut off their signal with the significant number of boats that don’t make their whereabouts known in public systems at all, you end up with gaps in data, monitoring and accountability. We are using satellite radar imagery to reduce that information gap and put our findings at the fingertips of those who want to ensure our ocean is managed equitably and sustainably.” 

The new global map layer draws from a massive data-processing pipeline and uses machine learning to crunch petabytes, or millions of gigabytes, of radar imagery taken by the European Space Agency’s Sentinel-1 satellites. By analyzing the entire archive of Sentinel-1 radar imagery, Global Fishing Watch has made 20 million detections of sea-going vessels greater than approximately 10 meters in length—and matched these detections to 100 billion GPS points from vessels broadcasting their position on the automatic identification system. This matching differentiates vessels that broadcast their position from those that remain dark in public monitoring systems, resulting in more comprehensive views of vessel movements across the global ocean. This information can help authorities pinpoint areas with suspicious activity and identify vessel patterns that may indicate illegal activity or previously unquantified fishing pressures.

Global Fishing Watch used satellite radar and optical imagery to reveal around 900 vessels of Chinese origin fishing illegally in North Korean waters in violation of United Nations sanctions—the largest known case of illegal fishing by an industrial fleet operating in another nation’s waters. Global Fishing Watch has since improved and expanded its use of satellite radar to study previously unseen fishing activity near marine protected areas in the Mediterranean Sea and hotspots of previously hidden activity in coastal waters around Africa. This emerging method of “seeing” vessels is revealing that the ocean is far busier than conventional monitoring systems show.

“While there are often legitimate reasons for not broadcasting a vessel’s location—not all governments require it—illegal operators will often turn off their signals to conceal their activity,” added Kroodsma. “The use of satellite radar to detect and map previously hidden and potentially illegal or harmful activity has opened a new realm of possibilities for remote sensing and big tech’s battle for the environment.” 

Amplifying the potential of satellite radar technology, Global Fishing Watch partnered with the Defense Innovation Unit in July 2021 to host the xView3 competition. The challenge invited machine learning developers from all over the world to create and submit computer algorithms to help detect dark vessels, drawing 1,900 registrants from 67 countries. Global Fishing Watch is using the winning entries announced earlier this year to refine and advance dark vessel detection methods at global scale, and expects to be able to shed light on many human activities on the ocean in the near future.

“By seeing and characterizing the activity of these expansive dark fleets, we can begin to better understand and quantify not just illegal fishing but a great deal of human activity that is impacting our marine environment,” said Paul Woods, chief innovation officer at Global Fishing Watch. “These are exciting times when it comes to open, accessible data that anyone can use for free to understand and advocate for the fragile marine areas they care about most.”

Source: Global Fishing Watch

The partners said that the MoU will enable fast tracking of vessel data collection for the support of compliance and performance across safety, carbon emissions and cyber security.

Marlink’s hybrid connectivity will be linked to BV’s digital and safety services; the companies will make it easier for mutual customers to adopt more secure digital tools over the Marlink network.

A working group will help shipowners in the area od regulatory compliance and improving security of data collection onboard vessels, removing barriers for technologies like remote operation, smart vessels and eventually autonomous operations.

The MoU is on an open source basis, opening the door for third parties to contribute where applicable.

“This is a partnership with real purpose whose foremost point is to take action to integrate digital tools and services that can bring value for shipowners and encourage and further develop cyber-secure, innovative Class operations,” said Matthieu de Tugny, President, Bureau Veritas Marine & Offshore.

“Shipowners face huge efficiency and compliance challenges over the next decade and these need to be considered now to create a future-proof path that can integrate core operational components onboard and ashore,” said Tore Morten Olsen, President, Maritime, Marlink. “Digitalisation is critical to improving voyage optimisation and vessel performance, achieving regulatory compliance and meeting ESG goals, but shipowners shouldn’t have to act as project managers – this partnership means they can streamline and simplify their digital journey based on Class guidelines and recommendations.”

APA, a global provider of software, services and data analysis for the maritime industry, said it has received the ISO 27001:2013 certification on information security management, validating the company’s adherence to international best practices on data management and security.

ISO 27001:2013 is an international standard that defines the requirements for a comprehensive information security management system, enabling organizations to safeguard the confidentiality, integrity and availability of data. The certification, which was delivered by classification society Bureau Veritas (BV), covers all of NAPA’s activities, products, services and locations. It confirms that robust data security systems are incorporated throughout NAPA’s processes and product development to protect the information entrusted by its customers against security risks, such as data leaks, hacks, or cyberattacks.

Upon receiving the certification, NAPA’s CEO, Mikko Kuosa, called on all shipping stakeholders to join NAPA in taking tangible and proactive steps together to build cyber resilience across the industry. As the number of cyberattacks and incidents is on the rise, Mr Kuosa urged maritime companies to ensure that their data, which is critical to their safety and operations, is protected by robust security systems.

“The data-driven insights made possible by greater connectivity onboard have enabled a giant leap forward in safety, emergency response, and voyage optimization – and there is no turning back. The benefits of connectivity are tremendous, and the increased digitalization in maritime also comes with the important responsibility of putting the right safeguards in place to maintain a cyber secure system at sea. In this context, the industry needs guarantees that its business-critical data is in safe hands and must demand the highest standards from its partners. This is why at NAPA we are dedicated to having robust security procedures in place to protect the sensitive data that is entrusted to us, as we help shipping companies sail more safely and sustainably,” said NAPA’s CEO Mikko Kuosa.

“At NAPA, we are proud to be spearheading best practices for the industry, with our comprehensive information security policy which guarantees that all confidential information is managed and stored with appropriate procedures in place. This means that users can safely take full advantage of the collaboration benefits and improved communication that our connected systems enable. Today, we are delighted to see our industry-leading practices formally recognized by the prestigious ISO certification,” Mikko Kuosa added.

In late June 2017, AP Moeller Maersk was forced to shut down its container operations in the Port of Los Angeles as their IT systems were infected with a ransomware which caused disruption to the booking systems. The company suffered damages amounting to USD 300 million.Cyber-attacks targeting the maritime sector are growing rapidly across the world and in Asia. Hackers are narrowing their focus on companies in the sector which are seen as tempting targets due to a perceived lack of cyber security investment and potential for significant operational disruption.Solutions are being developed by international bodies in the maritime industry to try to improve cyber safety. Discuss what those solutions are, whether their improvements are sufficient, as well as any further improvements required.