French UV-based water treatment specialist BIO-UV Group has developed state-of-the-art cyber security software for its BIO-SEA ballast water treatment system.
The development follows two new Unified Requirements adopted by International Association of Classification Societies (IACS) in 2021 to increase the cyber resilience of ships. The requirements are to ensure the secure integration of equipment into the vessel’s network throughout its operational lifespan, and to make the interface between users and computer-based systems/equipment more resilient.
“This could be a problem for legacy systems,” said Charlène Ceresola, Project manager, BIO-UV Group. “It’s not the case with a BIO-SEA unit, but older ballast water treatment systems can be susceptible to a cyber-attack. If the ballasting system is hacked and pumps operated remotely, ship stability is at risk; a ship could sink, and lives lost. It’s much more than simply an environmental threat.”
Ceresola said: “We are following these guidelines and have developed greater cyber secure functions to our software ahead of the requirement. In an increasingly connected and digitised world, every component onboard ship has to be cyber secure.”
BIO-UV Group completed testing of the new cyber secure function in 2022, with full type approval expected later this year.
