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Editors'' comment

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Safety at Sea and BIMCO to host Cyber Security Webinar

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Fortifying the defences: Creating cyber risk plans to meet the IMO 2021 deadline

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Date: Tuesday 11 August 2020, 3pm BST

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Ship owners and managers have until 1 January 2021 to incorporate cyber risk management into their Safety Management System or risk their vessels being detained by port state control.

?

However, it isn't just an increased risk in detentions facing shipping; there have been reports of a 400% increase in attempted hacks on the maritime and offshore sectors from cyber criminals looking to exploit companies diverted by COVID-19. Now, more than ever, shipping must ensure their organisation is cyber resilient.

?

Register now for an engaging and informative 60-minute webinar that will include the results of the Safety at Sea and BIMCO 2020 Maritime Cyber Security survey to inform briefings and discussions among maritime experts.

?

Best practice will be shared on how the industry and individuals must fortify their defences to comply with regulatory demands in time for the 2021 deadline and limit the impact of cyber attacks to IT infrastructure and operation down time.

?

Attendees will come away with a clear understanding of certain subjects, including; The scale and various forms of cyber threats facing maritime companies and COVID-19's impact on the risks. How to effectively cyber train staff onshore and at sea, and how to assess and address unique cyber risks in an organisation and its supply chains.

?

A number of industry experts will be speaking at the event, including;?

Cris DeWitt, Operational Technology Cyber Strategist, Cyber Mariner, Jakob P Larsen, Head of Maritime Security, BIMCO, Jarle Blomhoff, Group Leader Cyber Safety & Security, DNV GL and?

Rachael Bardoe, Operations Director and Cyber CoE, Digital Container Shipping Association.

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Tanya Blake, editor, SAS

Editors'' comment

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A shift in perspective

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All too often people, especially crew, are identified as the weak link in cyber security. Let's show that people are a company's biggest strength.

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More than half of respondents to the Safety at Sea and BIMCO 2020 Maritime Cyber Security survey said "our people" are their organisation's greatest cyber vulnerability. This is the fourth consecutive year that respondents to the survey have overwhelmingly declared that their staff and colleagues are the biggest cyber threat to their organisation, over IT systems, third parties, and operational technology (OT).

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This does not come as a surprise, considering that nearly one-third of respondents (31%) to this year's Maritime Cyber Security survey said their organisation had experienced a cyber incident in the past 12 months: phishing (68%), spear phishing (41%), and malware (33%) were the most?common causes of cyber attacks.

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Most of these attacks rely on tricking people into clicking a dangerous link in an email, or convincing them they are dealing with a trusted person rather than a malicious?hacker. Knowing your company is highly likely to face these threats, it falls on its leaders to educate and train its people on the risks. Our workers, onshore and at sea, should be seen as our first line of defence, not as our biggest?weakness.

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If staff are told to stay vigilant for risks via emails and know who to contact if they suspect an attack is occurring, cyber attacks will be prevented or their damage limited. Quality training should be given to staff and reviewed at regular intervals to test their understanding, as well as providing feedback on areas where improvements still need to be made.

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Most importantly, a no-blame culture is needed so that staff feel safe to report potential cyber slip-ups they have made without fear of?retribution. There have been far too many instances of seafarers being blamed for safety or security incidents without companies digging deeper into its own safety culture, systems, technologies, procedures, or training that it has in place.

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As Cris DeWitt, cyber-security expert from the Cyber Mariner consultancy, said, "our people" -?or more specifically crew - are "at a disadvantage from the beginning", with ship systems "cobbled together" without consideration for the human element.

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Shipowners must carefully consider the design and inherent cyber security in every piece of kit on board a vessel, and how each system will interact with another. Instead of choosing an electronic chart display and information system (ECDIS) with USB?ports on top of the console, for example, choose one that has ports underneath, in a harder-to-reach position, to limit the likelihood crew will be tempted to charge their phone in it.

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Ultimately, though, no matter how cyber resilient a company is, it is almost certain that it will face an attack. How successful an attack is and how serious the consequences could come down to how well-trained and empowered a company's staff is.

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If you are a CEO, a captain, or a team manager, I urge you to view your people as a strength, empower them, train them, and utilise them to make your company more able to prevent and recover from inevitable cyber attacks.

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Tanya Blake, editor, SAS

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Call to action

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Governments around the world must protect their seafarers and ensure crew changes are not suspended amid the COVID-19 travel restrictions
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We are currently facing unprecedented times, with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic impacting everyone's lives. Seafarers, as with many essential front-line workers, are feeling the brunt of keeping the global supply chain running.

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Crew are more resilient than most, used to the stresses and strains of the job and being away from home for long periods of time. However, this situation only serves to amplify these issues. Not to mention that seafarers, just like anyone else, are concerned about contracting the disease, and not being able to look after or protect their loved ones during the outbreak. Calls to seafarer support lines are unsurprisingly at an all-time high: There was a 40% spike in calls to Synergy Group's helpline in February alone.

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Meanwhile, other normal support structures for crew are being altered. Due to social distancing or quarantine measures being enforced around the world, contact with charity staff in ports has drawn to a standstill. Fortunately, charities such as Sailor's Society are offering virtual assistance in place of face-to-face support.

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What is of concern, however, is that despite maritime organisation's calls, shore leave and crew changes are being prevented in ports around the globe. The International Chamber of Shipping and the International Transport Workers' Federation sent an open letter to the United Nations on 20 March to urge that governments continue to let ships and crew gain access to ports and facilitate crew changes.

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Despite this, on 23 March, Taiwan suspended shore leave for all foreign seafarers, impacting any crew changes scheduled in its ports. Other countries have taken similar approaches, including Singapore, which has closed its borders indefinitely to seafarers and passengers on short-term visits. There must be measures put in place so that crew can be relieved and return home, rather than face an endless extension of their time aboard.

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Not all in shipping share this stance. A press release sent out on 24 March by crewing services company Danica urged it is better for large numbers of seafarers to avoid crew changes and extend contracts up to 12 months, rather than risk infection. Henrik Jensen, managing director of Danica Crewing Services, warned if crew do develop severe symptoms on board, ships lack the medical expertise and equipment to deal with it.?

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However, there are ways to prevent crew from contracting the virus, such as measures to distance crew from shore-based staff and pilots.?

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Frank Coles, CEO of Wallem Group, made an impassioned plea on LinkedIn for crew changes to continue, highlighting the massive mental toll it is taking on crew unable to go ashore. He shared an email from a master that said he and his crew were in a "state of mental turmoil" as, their signing off had been indefinitely delayed because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic restrictions.

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"Everyone is eagerly looking for sign off at the earliest even if we require to divert the ship and [are] not willing to sign any extension of contract," the master wrote, adding, "I'm personally very much disturbed for not being able to support my family during this hour of need."

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As Coles stressed, seafarers are "citizens of countries" too. Governments must work to ensure their seafarers are protected and can return home. Exempt crew from national travel restrictions and protect the very people keeping the world's maritime supply chains running from lasting psychological and physical damage.

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Tanya Blake, editor, Safety at Sea

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The fifth annual Safety at Sea/ BIMCO?Maritime Cyber Security survey was launched on 10 February 2020.?

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The survey, created in partnership with BIMCO, acts as a barometer to gauge the level of cyber risk facing the maritime industry and the efforts companies are making to protect against cyber breaches year-on-year.

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We'd like to hear from you to help us build a picture of the industry's approach to cyber risk. Please take the time to take part in the survey and click here.

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COVID-19: Don't start the rumour

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I recently took a call from a client whose vessel had been denied entry into a Southeast Asian port because its officials had heard a rumour that someone on board was infected with the COVID-19 virus.

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In truth, there was no sign of the virus on board. Everyone's temperature was taken, and all crew reported being healthy, but that did not matter. The vessel still was not allowed in.
Ships have been denied port entry for fear of contagion countless times during this latest health crisis ?- cruise ships are currently getting the most attention.

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There is a fine line between reasonable caution and overreaction. Controlling the spread of the virus is a priority, but decisions about how to limit its spread should be guided by facts and verified information, rather than rumour and speculation. Unfortunately, rumours are sometimes more plentiful than facts.

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We worked with another ship whose crew penned a joint letter to the management company, all refusing to transit through Chinese waters.?

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The crew felt the transit would unnecessarily endanger their health. All the available science said their fear was irrational. However, the crew responded by asking, "what if the ship encounters problems and has to make an unscheduled stop?".

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The psychology of a 'crisis' is largely the same regardless of its scale. People start with a mix of indifference and denial, "it won't be that bad" they may say, and then, driven by a lack of reliable information and a dose of scary reports, flip from denial to panic. Once people flip to fear, it is hard to go back; people will find every reason to justify their objectively unreasonable concerns.

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So, what should we do? International travel is an unavoidable part of our work. ?

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DO: Follow quality medical and operational advice available from credible sources, including national health authorities, flag states, and P&I clubs. Check who is providing the information and what they do to make sure it is accurate.

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DON'T: Believe most of what you read on social media, and do not become a source of rumours.

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As far as we can tell, the ship that was denied entry into a Southeast Asian port was because of a rumour.?

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On further investigation, the source of the rumour may have started when a seafarer on board posted to Facebook that he thought he "might be coming down with something. #Corona Haha!". Internet humour does not always translate.

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Dustin Eno, COO crisis and response manager, Navigate Response?

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Editors'' comment

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Due to COVID-19 crew are suffering around the world. Many have worked months over their contracts, are stressed, fatigued, anxious and in many cases still unable to return home due to pandemic travel restrictions imposed by governments.

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We want to amplify seafarers'' voices in this time, to get them the urgent help they need, but also to make the maritime industry sit up and listen to how it needs to change now and in the future to better support and protect seafarers.

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Please spare time out of your day to take the Lloyd''s Register COVID-19 wellbeing survey and complete all the questions - that way each voice will be counted and your opinions will make up part of a collective call for change.

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Take the survey by clicking here.?

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Tanya Blake, editor, SAS

Industry?comment

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Crew fatigue is a critical issue

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AMSA has dedicated its time and resources into investigating fatigue at sea and the impact on safety culture . Tackling fatigue is even more vital amid COVID-19.

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In the last decade, fatigue has become a major safety concern in the shipping industry, contributing to serious maritime accidents and impacting seafarers' short- and long-term performance and health.

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I am in a unique position of understanding fatigue from a scientific and practical angle. Before I joined the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) in 2013, I had built up 15 years of experience conducting applied research on fatigue at sea and more than 20 years of experience in the industry.

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This informed my work at AMSA, where I took on the challenge of revising the International Maritime Organization (IMO) guidelines on fatigue, led and developed by Australia in collaboration with other member states, and submitted to the IMO in 2016. That document took a contemporary approach to fatigue risk management, using peer-reviewed scientific literature and input from subject matter experts from around the world.

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A correspondence group of 33 countries and 11 organisations was created to work on this project. Fast forward to 2018, a revised set of IMO guidelines on fatigue was approved for release at the 100th session of the Maritime Safety Committee. In the same year, AMSA completed the first major study of safety culture in the maritime industry in Australia. More than 1,000 seafarers were surveyed and the findings recorded 20% of them experienced chronic fatigue.

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Our research also highlighted that there was a lack of fatigue management in practice in the maritime industry. We have created simple and usable guidelines to help close this gap, with evidence-based research and practical recommendations to address fatigue among seafarers. The aim is to ensure seafarers, companies, and other relevant stakeholders are aware that these guidelines are available for use.

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There is no doubt that these revised guidelines, especially the need to incorporate fatigue risk management, will test the maritime industry's resolve in reducing the risks when at sea.

An important and challenging element is for the industry to have in-depth knowledge and understanding of fatigue. This will ensure the risks associated with fatigue are being managed appropriately. As fatigue is under-reported, it is difficult to know if it is getting better or worse over time. That is why reporting is so important and why shipping companies need to have established pathways for seafarers to report fatigue-related issues.

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Shipping companies must also have processes for ensuring that lessons are learnt to prevent similar incidents from occurring again. In the maritime industry, a fatigue management system that continuously monitors and manages the risk of fatigue is the gold standard and it should be discussed with the seafarers, incorporated into a ship's safety management system (SMS), and implemented effectively.

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Shipping companies need to take a holistic approach to managing and reducing the risk of fatigue at sea. This is even more critical amid the COVID-19 pandemic where a seafarer's contract may have been extended and, as a result, they are spending more time at sea than originally planned. Vessel operators should be identifying potential risks around crewing difficulties and addressing these in SMS documentation. Now is the time for shipping companies to step up and take care of the physical and mental wellbeing of their seafarers.

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Dr Michelle Grech, manager vessel operations, Australian Maritime Safety Authority

Editors'' comment

?

Safety at Sea and BIMCO to host Cyber Security Webinar

?

Fortifying the defences: Creating cyber risk plans to meet the IMO 2021 deadline

?

Date: Tuesday 11 August 2020, 3pm BST

?

Ship owners and managers have until 1 January 2021 to incorporate cyber risk management into their Safety Management System or risk their vessels being detained by port state control.

?

However, it isn't just an increased risk in detentions facing shipping; there have been reports of a 400% increase in attempted hacks on the maritime and offshore sectors from cyber criminals looking to exploit companies diverted by COVID-19. Now, more than ever, shipping must ensure their organisation is cyber resilient.

?

Register now for an engaging and informative 60-minute webinar that will include the results of the Safety at Sea and BIMCO 2020 Maritime Cyber Security survey to inform briefings and discussions among maritime experts.

?

Best practice will be shared on how the industry and individuals must fortify their defences to comply with regulatory demands in time for the 2021 deadline and limit the impact of cyber attacks to IT infrastructure and operation down time.

?

Attendees will come away with a clear understanding of certain subjects, including; The scale and various forms of cyber threats facing maritime companies and COVID-19's impact on the risks. How to effectively cyber train staff onshore and at sea, and how to assess and address unique cyber risks in an organisation and its supply chains.

?

A number of industry experts will be speaking at the event, including;?

Cris DeWitt, Operational Technology Cyber Strategist, Cyber Mariner, Jakob P Larsen, Head of Maritime Security, BIMCO, Jarle Blomhoff, Group Leader Cyber Safety & Security, DNV GL and?

Rachael Bardoe, Operations Director and Cyber CoE, Digital Container Shipping Association.

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Tanya Blake, editor, SAS

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Maritime safety - Policy vs reality

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Shipping enables the movement of goods globally and provides 96% of all UK trade. Yet, the UK is largely "sea blind" to its importance. It is an industry populated by men and women who care deeply for its integrity. However, too much of it operates globally at a level that includes tax evasion, certain tax avoidance, a devotion to cheapness, and an unfortunate disregard for the human condition.

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This is the very reason why the UK has constructed its first 30-year strategy in its 500 years as a leading maritime nation of the world - the Maritime 2050. In this, the UK has committed to be a leading global maritime nation predicated on safety and the eradication of modern slavery at sea. Globally, our industry has had more collisions at sea and machinery failures in 2016-18 than we did in 2014-16. We have more vessels at sea today than we have ever had, and yet we have determined that buying the cheapest ships in China is part of our professional way of life. Our seafarers have never been cheaper in relative terms, nor has the cost of shipping itself.

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The reason the UK government has determined maritime safety as one of its central policy issues in Maritime 2050 is, I imagine, because it is well aware that the industry is unsafe globally. For 70 years, we have known the dangers of seafarers entering confined spaces and remaining there - dead. So, we crafted technically based regulations and demanded that portable marine safety equipment were available for the crew to use. Still, they perish. This is a failure of implementation, and implementation only occurs in an environment where the wellbeing of those under command is the leader's first duty and priority.?

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Although best practice exists, they only exist in our best operators and these are a minority in our industry. Over the last 20 years, the growth of ship management is attributable to the lower cost advantage it gave to the owner, revealing an owner's interest.

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What is a typical and unsafe shipping company's structure? The owner might be based in London, Hamburg, or Athens. The ship will be registered as a single-purpose company in the most tax-efficient domicile. The ship might be flagged in Panama or Liberia, the two most common 'flag states' globally. It may be 'classed' under any number of classification societies, and it is no coincidence that owners appoint high-quality classification societies while being regulated in the lowest-quality domiciles. If they do not, then their cargo owners or charters will not use them.

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The officers and crew will be recruited from countries with the lowest labour rate. This is why the industry is manning itself with Filipinos (average GDP per capita USD3,104 per annum), Burmese (average GDP per head USD1,490 per annum), and Nepalese (average GDP per head USD775 per annum). The majority of contracts is won on price alone - the cheapest food, the cheapest water, and the cheapest rope itself.

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In the UK, the Maritime Coastguard Agency (MCA) struggles to maintain its establishment of 128 highly qualified former master mariners and former chief engineers to be its inspectors and surveyors. How many of their counterparts exist in Panama or Liberia? While the UK maritime sector constantly concerns itself with the MCA and the Marine Accidental Investigation Branch (which generate some of the finest marine accident reports globally), what conference have you attended at any time, in the last 30 years, where speakers have expressed concern as to Liberia's or Panama's equivalent establishment or commented in reverential terms as to the quality of their accident reports?

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The International Maritime Organization has the convening authority of the finest multi-lateral organisations globally. However, as a United Nations body, it can only "get better" if our member states make it so.

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Hence, in this year of Maritime 2050, is it the time for the UK to lead the global maritime industry to being a safe one by being its most strident member state, telling the world that our industry has had enough loss of life, enough of modern slavery, enough crippling and life-changing injuries, enough mental impedance, and that it must all stop.

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There can be no higher calling in our industry than eradicating unsafe practices, preserving lives at sea or eradicating the stain of modern slavery from our seas.

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Carl Stephen Patrick Hunter OBE, chairman, Coltraco Ultrasonics

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COVID-19: Don't start the rumour

?

I recently took a call from a client whose vessel had been denied entry into a Southeast Asian port because its officials had heard a rumour that someone on board was infected with the COVID-19 virus.

In truth, there was no sign of the virus on board. Everyone's temperature was taken, and all crew reported being healthy, but that did not matter. The vessel still was not allowed in.
Ships have been denied port entry for fear of contagion countless times during this latest health crisis ?- cruise ships are currently getting the most attention.

?

There is a fine line between reasonable caution and overreaction. Controlling the spread of the virus is a priority, but decisions about how to limit its spread should be guided by facts and verified information, rather than rumour and speculation. Unfortunately, rumours are sometimes more plentiful than facts.

?

We worked with another ship whose crew penned a joint letter to the management company, all refusing to transit through Chinese waters. The crew felt the transit would unnecessarily endanger their health. All the available science said their fear was irrational. However, the crew responded by asking, "what if the ship encounters problems and has to make an unscheduled stop?".

?

The psychology of a 'crisis' is largely the same regardless of its scale. People start with a mix of indifference and denial, "it won't be that bad" they may say, and then, driven by a lack of reliable information and a dose of scary reports, flip from denial to panic.

?

Once people flip to fear, it is hard to go back; people will find every reason to justify their objectively unreasonable concerns. So, what should we do? International travel is an unavoidable part of our work. ?

?

DO: Follow quality medical and operational advice available from credible sources, including national health authorities, flag states, and P&I clubs. Check who is providing the information and what they do to make sure it is accurate.

?

DON'T: Believe most of what you read on social media, and do not become a source of rumours.

?

As far as we can tell, the ship that was denied entry into a Southeast Asian port was because of a rumour.?

?

On further investigation, the source of the rumour may have started when a seafarer on board posted to Facebook that he thought he "might be coming down with something. #Corona Haha!". Internet humour does not always translate.

?

?

Dustin Eno, COO & crisis response manager, Navigate Response
?

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Editors'' comment

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Talk is cheap

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For crew stranded at sea amid COVID-19, governments talking about crew changes is not enough. They must put those words into action.

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At the time I am writing this it has been 26 days since the UK held its summit on 9?July?2020 to address crew change problems during COVID-19. Some crew have been working on board their vessels for 420 days, or more, and will be tired of waiting even one more day for governments to act on their promises to get them home.

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The 13 countries that came together during the summit, including Denmark, Greece, Indonesia, Norway, the Philippines, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and the US, declared that they would deal with the issues affecting crew during the pandemic, including contract and lack of crew repatriations.

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A joint statement urged member states to implement the International Maritime Organization's (IMO's) recommended protocols on safe crew change amid COVID-19, review seafarers' travel restrictions, and work with the aviation industry?on ways to increase commercial flights to principal seafarer nations.

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The summit and the following declarations are vital, but we need to ask ourselves one simple question: has anything changed for the better? Those I chatted to this week in maritime largely said no, some said it may have got worse. The issue is that second waves and lockdown measures, including on domestic and international travel, are starting up again in countries that had been previously easing COVID-19 restrictions.

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However, some countries that are allowing crew changes are doing so in name only. This is according to Kuba Syzmanski, secretary-general of?InterManager, who pointed to countries like Singapore or Hong Kong that he feels are putting up "barriers" to crew changes. He said this makes it nearly impossible to carry them out, despite them technically being able to take place.

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Such barriers, he said, included only allowing crew changes for Singapore-flagged ships, and the multiple logistical issues associated with trying to get COVID-19 tests for crew 48 hours before flights, especially when flights may end up changing or being delayed at short notice. That is not to say crew changes are not happening. InterManager estimated there are 35-40% of all seafarers currently being allowed to travel from ship to home and vice versa.

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However, that still leaves the remaining 65-70% working at sea, unable to return home or get work to earn money. It is an untenable situation for crew who still have to work far beyond their stipulated contract time. Furthermore, despite these pressures, seafarers still manage to safely deliver critical goods across the oceans and to many countries refusing or making it logistically prohibitive to conduct crew changes.

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We ashore would not put up with this kind of treatment, nor would our laws allow it, so why should it be any different for seafarers? What would happen if crew began treating countries the same way, refusing to deliver goods to countries with large outbreaks of COVID-19 to protect themselves from an outbreak on board? This situation should not have been allowed to happen and should not be allowed to continue one day more.

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The time has long gone for governments to simply spout rhetoric about what they hope to do, or should do, to ensure crew changes occur. Nor should they say crew changes can happen but put so many measures in place that it is nearly impossible for shipping companies to get their crew home. Now is the time for real action, to stand up for crew who have been supporting us during this pandemic.

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As Szymanski put it, "Decision-makers must respect seafarers, not with big public statements but just quietly allow us to go from ship to plane, to plane and home, and vice versa - we don't need spectacular summits."

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Tanya Blake, editor, SAS