The shipping industry will face new cybersecurity risks in 2025, as ongoing geopolitical conflicts and trade wars have activated hackers in states targeting trade flows.
At least 64 cyber attacks were reported against ports and shipowners in 2023, while, according to a survey by the Norwegian classification society, seven in ten (71%) maritime industry workers estimate that their organizations’ assets are more vulnerable to cyber attacks than ever before in 2024.
All shipping companies, which are increasingly using connected digital technologies to make shipping safer, greener and more efficient, can achieve a greater response by embedding cybersecurity resilience into their corporate culture.
“Failing to integrate cybersecurity early in new projects and initiatives leaves the shipping industry struggling to address the problem later,” warns Svante Einarsson, Head of Maritime Cybersecurity at DNV Cyber.
He explained that “adopting security measures after the incident is more time-consuming and costly than adopting security by design.”
One of the report’s key recommendations is that shipping companies should view cybersecurity as an enabler of innovation, rather than a barrier, providing a framework for security as they enter the digital future.
