THE Baltic and International Maritime Council (BIMCO) in partnership with other leading shipping organisations has unveiled a set of guidelines to help the global shipping industry prevent major safety, environmental and commercial issues that could result from a cyber incident onboard a ship.

BIMCO described the cyber guidelines as a first for the shipping industry, developed by international shipping associations, comprising BIMCO, CLIA, ICS, INTERCARGO and INTERTANKO – and with support from a wide range of stakeholders.
Secretary General of BIMCO, Angus Frew, said: “BIMCO has led the way to identify potential cyber vulnerabilities for ships – and their implications – based on the latest expert research.”
Frew added: “The aim is to provide the shipping industry with clear and comprehensive information on cyber security risks to ships enabling shipowners to take measures to protect against attacks and to deal with the eventuality of cyber incidents.

“The guidelines launched today should help companies take a risk-based approach to cyber security that is specific to their business and the ships they operate.”

Meanwhile, eight container-shipping companies are facing fines from China’s Ministry of Transport for alleged violation of freight rate-related regulations.
World maritime news report that an inspection found that the companies in question failed to report their freight rates or did not meet the standards set by the ministry regarding freight rate standards, the ministry said.
The container carriers found in breach of the regulation include some of the industry’s top players, those being: Gold Star Line, Pacific International Lines, Maersk Line, Nansung Shipping, Cheng Lie Navigation, COSCO Container Lines Co, Hanjin Shipping Co. and Zim Integrated Shipping.

The total fine for the violation amounts to $169,555.
The move comes within the country’s efforts to curb price fixing schemes among carriers so as to avoid tariff irregularities in the shipping sector and create a level-playing field for liner companies.

Meanwhile, in an In an attempt to improve security in the country’s territorial waters, the Indonesian Navy’s Western Fleet (Armabar) plans to launch a piracy prevention program.
“This programme aims to raise awareness among people so that they will not participate in any sea crime activities should criminals ask them to rob and hijack vessels, or steal their parts,” Armabar’s commander Rear Admiral Achmad Taufiqoerrachman, said in Jakarta on Thursday.
Taufiqoerrachman said that the programme would be targeted especially at younger people as many of those arrested by Armabar were teenagers who were unaware of the crimes they were committing.

“We will go to villages where most of the piracy suspects come from and start the campaign,” he said.
According to the jakartapost.com, the first area targeted by the campaign includes Riau Islands as well as areas in and around the Malacca Strait and Natuna Island, which have long been known as hotbeds of pirate activity.
In the programme, Armabar will involve the local police and regional administrations.
Taufiqoerrachman said the program came at the right time as the number of criminal activities in the Malacca Strait had declined significantly.

“We have no more crimes in the area. Now is the time to conduct this public campaign, so that the area can continue to be free from any sea criminal activities,” he said.
The Malacca Strait, located between Indonesia and Malaysia, has long been a hotbed of criminal activity, such as robbery and piracy, and has gained a lot of media attention in recent years.
The strait is an important global shipping route for vessels carrying anything from crude oil to finished products from all over the world.

According to the Navy’s investigation, at least 90 percent of piracy cases in the area are instigated, often for insurance purposes, by people, both Indonesian and foreigners, other than the pirates themselves.
Meanwhile in its interdiction efforts, Armabar have arrested three pirates who stole light crude oil (LCO) from the tanker MT Joaquim last August in the Malacca Strait.

The three suspects; identified only as HU, AS and AG were arrested in Bandung, West Java, while the ship Kharisma 9 that the group used to run their operation was found in the waters off Banten.
The ship’s name had been changed to Union Star.
The Navy investigation discovered that the mastermind behind the LCO piracy was a woman, identified only as E, and a military deserter, identified only as A.

“I was paid Rp 10 million [US$733] by E after successfully completing the operation,” one of the suspects, HU, told reporters. “My job was to take the stolen LCO and distribute it to another vessel that had been arranged by E,”
According to HU, he had collaborated with E for one year, and during that time, he managed to steal LCO from tankers four times.
HU said that he was unaware that his group had engaged in criminal activity saying that he considered himself to be an employee of E.