Wärtsilä Opens World’s 1st International Maritime Cyber Center of Excellence

Finnish-based technology group Wärtsilä opened an International Maritime Cyber Centre of Excellence (IMCCE) today in Singapore.

The IMCCE consists of a Maritime Cyber Emergency Response Team (MCERT) and a cyber academy, and it is first of its kind in the world.

The center was set up in cooperation with Templar Executives, and its focal point will be for the industry to help drive the cyber awareness and response to cyber incidents.

“Taking stewardship in something as important as this, shows that Wärtsilä is committed to transform and digitalise the marine industry. This is the next step in our Smart Marine vision and supports our Oceanic Awakening and Sea20 initiatives,” says Marco Ryan, Chief Digital Officer at Wärtsilä.

“There are three main drivers for the maritime industry to collaborate in improving our cyber resiliency: the vast attack surface that the maritime industry offers to cyber criminals; the inclusion of maritime into the critical national infrastructure of nation states and the pending cyber security regulation by the International Maritime Organisation in 2021,” says Mark Milford, Vice President, Cyber Security at Wärtsilä.

The MCERT is an international cyber intelligence and incident support platform enhancing cyber resilience for the entire maritime ecosystem. It provides international intelligence feeds, advice and support, including real-time assistance to members on cyber attacks and incidents, and a Cyber Security Reporting Portal (CSRP) for its members. The MCERT operates from the Wärtsilä Acceleration Centre facilities launched today in Singapore.

The MCERT is based on a membership model and for those who want to lead the cyber agenda in the industry, it offers an Advisory Board membership. The Advisory Board will comprise of stakeholders from the Maritime ecosystem in the areas of shipping, oil & gas, ports and cruise ships.

“In the face of growing cyber threats and increasing regulatory pressures it is up to us in the maritime sector to act now; the IMCCE incorporating the Maritime Cyber Emergency Response Team and the Cyber Academy for Maritime is an exciting opportunity for us all, from the smallest to the largest providers within the Maritime ecosystem, to work together to protect, influence and enable the future of our industry,” says Andrew Fitzmaurice, CEO at Templar Executives.