The classification and insurance industries can work together to advance maritime safety through cyber and autonomous technology, Christopher Wiernicki, the chairman, president and CEO of American Bureau of Shipping (ABS), said on Wednesday.
In comments delivered to the American Institute of Marine Underwriters (AIMU), Wiernicki explained that the classification and insurance industries can simply and establish common terminology, and deliver cyber programs and notations and other products, to enhance the industries’ shared focus on maritime safety and risk mitigation.
“Maritime safety depends increasingly on cyber-enabled physical systems and integrated information technology and operational technology efforts, so safety-related standards and services, including class and insurance, must recognize and address this as the safety system that no one sees,” Wiernicki said.
The maritime industry continues to rely more on condition-based, continuous, real-time risk-based and cyber-influenced decision making as technology develops, Wiernicki noted.
“As a digital organization, ABS leads classification into the future through the holistic ABS CyberSafety Program encompassing cybersecurity as well as software and data integrity that is defining a new absolute value of safety,” he said.
AIMU President John Miklus agreed that the two organizations have shared interests in safeguarding vessels, crews, and cargo. He also noted opportunities for the insurance and classification industries to work together to shape maritime safety conversations.
“The insights shared today from ABS underscore the importance of how we are stronger together in our journeys, leveraging each other’s strengths to simplify the complexities of topics like cyber that are defining our future,” Miklus said.