Digital Container Shipping Association (DCSA) publishes a cybersecurity guide

The Digital Container Shipping Association (DCSA), whose members include MSC, Maersk, CMA-CGM, Hapag-Lloyd, and Evergreen, has published a guide along with supporting templates to help shipping companies and vessels in the container shipping sector comply with regulations issued by the International Maritime Organization (IMO), particularly resolution MSC.428(98).

Adopted in 2017, this resolution aims to ensure that cyber risks onboard ships are properly addressed within existing onboard risk management processes. The requirement becomes applicable starting January 2021.

The documents provide recommendations—mainly non-technical—related to the management of IT and OT risks aboard vessels.

DCSA’s objective is to maintain consistency with existing standards such as ISO 27001 and NIST 800-83, as well as maritime-specific guidelines such as those produced by BIMCO. At the same time, the guidance takes into account the specific risks associated with container shipping in order to integrate these considerations into existing Safety Management Systems (SMS).

You can also watch the webinar released by DCSA on this occasion:

Although primarily intended for the container shipping sector, the guidance may also be relevant to other areas of the maritime industry.