IAPH sponsors and co-sponsors six submissions on cybersecurity of maritime single windows, port call optimisation, port community systems, IMO’s forthcoming digitalisation strategy, illicit trading as well as training and education for mooring personnel
The IAPH was present in full force this week at the International Maritime Organization’s Headquarters in London, as the IMO FAL convention celebrated it’s sixtieth anniversary since its foundation and proceeded with its 49th committee meeting.
During his intervention, IAPH Managing Director Patrick Verhoeven stated:
“The FAL convention has undoubtedly positively impacted trade facilitation between countries enabling maritime transport systems to become more interoperable. However, looking ahead towards the future of facilitation of maritime traffic, we do need greater trust between all stakeholders. Since our initial industry-led call to action, it has been proven as the main identifiable success factor in accelerating digitalisation in the ship-shore interface and the wider maritime supply chain.”
The key security challenge: dealing with the cyberattack threat on world ports
Patrick also warned the member states and NGOs present that cybersecurity is the greatest threat facing ports, which explains and justifies the current submission IAPH co-sponsored alongside Bangladesh, Brazil, Republic of Korea, Malaysia, Peru, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, and UAE. The submission proposes to safeguard maritime single windows by introducing mandatory requirements to implement cybersecurity measures.
“There is not one month where somewhere in the world a port suffers a cyberattack. This can lead to disastrous consequences for that country’s trade should the cyber resilience of that port entity be insufficient. That is why we are co-submitting a proposal calling for establishing appropriate and adequate legal governance structures in member states that enable the required cyber measures to be put in place to secure maritime single windows, either as separate entities or as part of wider, Port Community Systems.”
The proposal was welcomed by the member states, and, considering remarks by FAL49 participants during the session, will now proceed through the legislative process to create a new output to amend the annex to the FAL Convention.
To combat this threat in practical terms, a working group of the IAPH data collaboration committee has drawn up the first draft of cyber resilience guidelines for ports by member port and associate member experts. The content will be discussed at the upcoming IAPH technical committee days in London at the end of March and the report will be published by IAPH later this year.
About IAPH
Founded in 1955, the International Association of Ports and Harbors (IAPH) has developed into a global alliance of 191 port authorities as well as 165 port-related businesses. Comprised of over 80 different nationalities across the world’s continents, member ports handle over one third of the world’s sea-borne trade and well over 60% of the world container traffic. IAPH leads global port industry initiatives on decarbonisation and energy transition, risk and resilience management, and accelerating digitalisation in the maritime transport chain. The IAPH’s World Ports Sustainability Program has grown into the reference database of best practices of ports applying the UN Sustainable Development Goals and integrating them into their businesses - iaphworldports.org.