Course Objectives

Maritime Cyber Security Awareness training is becoming mandatory within the industry. A section dedicated to maritime security, including cyber risk, was introduced in the third edition of the Tanker Management Self Assessment (TMSA) and came into effect in January 2018. This was also included in the seventh edition of the Vessel inspection questionnaire (VIQ7) from the Ship Inspection Report Programme (SIRE), effective from September 2018. IMO’s Maritime Safety Committee have inserted Maritime Regulation MSC 428 (98) Cyber Risk Management into the list of ISM Code requirements. This becomes effective in January 2021. This course is developed in accordance with BIMCO, IMO, ICS and IACS guidelines and has been approved by the Institute of Maritime Engineering, Science and Technology (IMarEST), University of Sunderland, UK and International Maritime Satellite Organization (Inmarsat). It aims to address the training needs for the industry on Cyber Security Awareness for on-shore, port and off-shore maritime personnel. Participants for the course will learn that modern ships and seafarers are prime targets for cyber-attacks. Bridge systems such as GPS, ECDIS, radar and autopilot systems can be compromised by outsiders which poses a significant safety risk; and that it is not only vessel navigation that can be undermined, but control systems for ballast water, vessel stability, engines and propulsion can all be targeted by increasingly sophisticated cyber criminals. Participants will learn the need to recognise/minimise IT threats, loopholes for hackers, unsecured devices and system compromises and of the basic necessity to take the personal precautionary measures to minimise the cyber security risks both onboard and whilst ashore.