Container ships and bulk carriers in Swire Group subsidiary China Navigation Co’s fleet will be upgraded to enhance navigational safety and onboard security
China Navigation has signed a fleetwide contract with Sperry Marine to install SperrySphere Connected ECDIS on 24 of its bulk carriers and 12 of its container ships as part of its digitalisation drive.
Electronic chart data transfers will be simple and secure and optimised voyages securely transferred to the navigation ECDIS enabling masters to follow routes accurately and safely using this solution.
“We wanted to reduce the reliance on manual ECDIS updates and mitigate cyber risk by removing USBs from the chart update process,” said China Navigation general manager for fleet services Gerry Bonner. “With cyber security incidents presenting a major concern for shipping, Sperry Marine’s Connected ECDIS gives us the opportunity to drive digitalisation in our fleet, improve operational efficiency and increase cyber safety.”
Connected ECDIS raises cyber risk management by removing the need to use USB memory devices when transferring electronic chart data, enabling vessels to update navigation digitally, with data passing through Sperry Marine’s Secure Maritime Gateway (SMG).
“This provides a high degree of operational flexibility and a convenient means of updating charts with cyber security that exceeds International Electrotechnical Commission standards, with no risk of infection from the USB stick,” said Sperry Marine managing director James Collett.
SMG uses multiple firewalls and a secure zone as a staging post between front and back of bridge to ensure there is no direct connection between the navigation systems and the ship’s main IT network. The system allows secure transfer of chart updates from any compliant data provider.
“ECDIS is one of the most vulnerable shipboard systems to cyber attack since it receives regular updates and is also critical to safe and compliant navigation,” Mr Collett said. “Employing the SMG means China Navigation will enjoy faster, simpler and more reliable chart updates with a high level of cyber security.”
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