With so much attention being paid to the potential benefits of big data, DNV GL is also offering cautionary guidance on the potential risks to cyber security
A lot of shipping companies are looking at the advantages to be gained from the new opportunities offered by big data, such as increased autonomy of vessels. However, they are also becoming aware of the risks arising from breaches of cyber security.
Class society DNV GL is engaged in extensive work on both aspects as this technology advances.
At the SMM event in Hamburg in September DNV GL Group president and chief executive Remi Eriksen highlighted the potential of digitalisation for the maritime industry. “This is for me the trend with the potential to revolutionise shipping. More satellite communication players are entering the market, giving us increased capacity, better coverage and lower costs to transfer data between ship and shore. Companies can capture the benefits of digitalisation, bring them into practical use and scale them to the point where they deliver real financial, environmental and societal benefits. I believe it is in this role, as implementer and as a trusted data custodian, where DNV GL can really shine.
Knut Ørbeck-Nilssen, chief executive of DNV GL Maritime, said the class society could assist its customers to make their operations smarter but they need to take steps to ensure safety. He said: “With ships and mobile offshore units becoming increasingly reliant on software-dependent systems, cyber security is an important operational and safety issue for the maritime world.”
He highlighted several examples of how DNV GL is helping companies utilise data from their vessels to make operations smarter. The ECO Insight fleet performance management solution introduced in 2015 has extended to nearly 1,000 vessels and added new features such as an environmental module that looks at individual emissions to air, water and land, readiness for the European Commission’s measurement, reporting and verification (MRV) requirement, and a performance support centre where customers can obtain direct advice on potential improvements.
DNV GL is making further progress in the use of drones, conducting successful surveys inside shipboard tanks. Mr Ørbeck-Nilssen said this has given the class society the experience to develop its own tailor-made drones. It is developing guidelines and training for drone surveys and considering updating its rules to reflect the use of remote inspections using drones.
In September 2016 DNV GL launched its recommended practice Cyber security resilience management for ships and mobile offshore units in operation, aimed at assisting companies to address potential cyber risks.
It contains guidance on some of the common threats to maritime assets. They include vulnerabilities in electronic chart display and information systems (ecdis), the manipulation of automatic identification system (AIS) tracking data, and jamming and spoofing GPS and other satellite-based tracking systems. It also covers the different risks from unintentional breaches, such as importing viruses in software, or faulty software, and deliberate threats such as attacks by hackers with various motivations and from different internal or external sources.
DNV GL has also developed services in collaboration with several major shipowners aimed at enhancing the cyber security of their assets. DNV GL’s Maritime Academy offers e-learning modules aimed at increasing awareness of cyber security-related issues among crews and shore staff. Mr Ørbeck-Nilssen said: “Studies have found that the human element still accounts for 90 per cent of all cyber security breaches. This means that regular training and awareness campaigns are central to any cyber security initiative.”
In February 2017 DNV GL launched Veracity, a new industry data platform designed to help the maritime industry improve its profitability and explore new business models through digitalisation. DNV GL said Veracity is designed to help companies improve data quality and manage the ownership, security, sharing and use of data. “By creating frictionless connections between data owners and users, the platform will create new opportunities for improving ship performance and safety while reducing operational costs.”
Mr Ørbeck-Nilssen said: “As a classification society it is vital for us to always be exploring ways we can help our industry to leverage new technologies to improve the safety and productivity of their assets. Today that means being in the vanguard of digitalisation and the vast amount of data being produced and gathered on vessels by advanced sensor technology and interconnected systems.
“Veracity will enable connections between multiple stakeholders and data sets, thereby creating new and innovative solutions. This will give us a platform where our customers can integrate their data, quality assure the data, secure it, and offer controlled access to DNV GL or other providers to run analytics on the data. Individual data sets can be enriched with other, industry wide data sets, providing benchmarks, new and richer insights, and analytics.”
One potential application is to document the compliance of main onboard machinery and systems through predictive analytics, removing the need for calendar-based inspections.
Veracity is part of a much wider initiative across various industries in which DNV GL is involved. Mr Eriksen said: “This is the start of transforming some core elements of our 150-year old company into a global digital platform business. It will not happen overnight, but we have a unique starting point. DNV GL is already a trusted custodian of asset and performance data from ships, power grids, wind and solar farms, oil and gas installations, fish farms and the healthcare sector. That is why we are building an industry data platform in collaboration with Microsoft Azure and other leading companies. DNV GL is not looking to own data, but to unlock, qualify, combine and prepare data for analytics and benchmarking.”
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