The guidelines were developed by international shipping associations including BIMCO, Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), International Association of Dry Cargo Shipowners (INTERCARGO) and International Association of Independent Tanker Owners (INTERTANKO), according to a Jan. 4 release.
The guidelines also contain information on understanding cyber threats, how to assess and reduce risks, how to develop contingency plans, and identifying vulnerabilities and potential targets for cybercriminals.
“The aim is to provide the shipping industry with clear and comprehensive information on cyber security risks to ships enabling shipowners to take measures to protect against attacks and to deal with the eventuality of cyber incidents,” Angus Frew, Secretary General of BIMCO, said in the release.
Frew went on to say that cyber threats are constantly changing and that the guidelines will regularly be updated to insure that companies have the latest information available.
The guidelines mention that as technology develops the risk of unauthorized access or malicious attacks on ship networks and systems increase.
“Relevant personnel should have training in identifying the typical modus operandi of cyber attacks,” the guidelines said.
