Cyber safety is very high on IUMI’s agenda. IUMI supports the efforts of the IMO, classification societies and shipowner associations to understand, assess and mitigate the risk. Consequently, cyber risks will become more transparent and understandable to insurers, making these risks insurable.

International shipowner associations such as BIMCO, the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), Intertanko, Intercargo and Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) launched a first edition of the “Shipowners Guidelines on Cyber Security Onboard Ships” in 2016. These guidelines have received a lot of attention, not least being mentioned in the IMO “Interim Guidelines on Maritime Cyber Security Management” (MSC.1/Circ. 1526, 1 June 2016) as a reference. For the second edition - intended to be launched in the late summer of 2017 - shipowners have had a stronger cooperation with IUMI represented marine insurers. IUMI has, among others, provided proposals for a new insurance chapter in the guidelines.

With regard to classification, IUMI is a member of the newly founded International Association of Classification Societies (IACS) Joint Working Group (JWG) on cyber systems, which has already met several times in 2017 under the chairmanship of George Reilly, ABS. The JWG prepares industry input to the new IACS cyber panel which is intended to develop class recommendations with regard to cyber risks.

During the Maritime Safety Committee (MSC) 98 meeting in June 2017, a paper submitted by the United States of America (MSC 98/5/2) was under the IMO’s consideration. The paper proposes to make cyber risk management onboard ships mandatory as before, and to make it part of the ISM Code and accordingly part of the ship’s mandatory Safety Management System. IUMI currently relies on shipowners’ voluntary efforts to perform a proper risk assessment, based on the rules and guidelines developed by shipowner associations and classification societies.