PRESS RELEASE: Naval Dome has successfully installed its Endpoint maritime cyber defence system to a 57,692GT Pure Car and Truck Carrier (PCTC) operated by Piraeus-based Stamco Ship Management.
The vessel, chartered to Wallenius Wilhelmsen Lines, is the first of 55 PCTCs under Stamco management scheduled to be protected by the award-winning multi-layered cyber defence solution.
Following preparatory work to tailor the Naval Dome Endpoint to suit the vessel’s specific systems and operational profile, installation took one hour to complete during a scheduled port stay in Piraeus, Greece.
Naval Dome will now prepare the bespoke technology for installation to the other vessels in the Stamco fleet.
Stamco’s head of operations said: “Our commitment to ship safety underpins the decision to protect our customers’ assets with the Naval Dome solution. We cannot underestimate the operational, financial and safety implications a cyber-related incident – whether by design or by default – would have on operations, especially given the high-value cargo our ships transport.
“With Naval Dome we are better prepared to prevent any unauthorised access to our ships’ systems. A significant advantage of the Naval Dome Endpoint is that it protects our systems and our crews can go about their day-to-day duties without having to intervene.”
Naval Dome Chief Technical Officer Asaf Shefi said: “We are delighted that Stamco Ship Management has become one of the first ship management companies to take decisive steps to protect its fleet from cyber attack. The decision should encourage other ship managers to follow Stamco’s lead, since all systems onboard ships are not stand-alone components but a connected network of systems and machinery that can be protected by our technology.”
Coincidently, the Stamco installation coincided with the results from a BIMCO, Fairplay and ABS Advanced Solutions survey in which a high proportion (75%) of the individuals questioned worked for companies that had experienced a cyber-related incident in the last 12 months. It also revealed that half were affected by service disruption while a quarter of respondents’ companies suffered financial loss.
An IUMI, Marsh and Global Maritime Forum survey, meanwhile, indicated that cyber attacks and data theft are likely to dominate the maritime agenda over the next ten-years. Cyber related incidents were also found to be the third-highest issue with regard to perceived impact and the lowest related to preparedness.
“There is a clear and present danger of ship systems being hacked. If ships remain unprotected, hackers will penetrate critical systems and prevent any further ship operation until they’ve paid the ransom demand,” said Shefi. “Endpoint mitigates against this risk.”
