Wärtsilä has confirmed that it has been awarded Lloyd’s Register’s (LR) system-level cyber certification for its network architecture, specifically covering the Wärtsilä Data Collection Unit (WDCU) used to manage Cloud integration with vessel systems.
The award of LR’s ShipRight SAFE AL2 certification to the WDCU covers integrated main and auxiliary machinery, effectively providing Approval-in-Principle (AiP) for the entire Wärtsilä integrated system network, rather than for any individual component, the company said
Wärtsilä’s Data Collection Unit forms part of the company’s Data Bridge performance analytics platform and is used to gather and transfer operational data to the Cloud for remote monitoring.
The ShipRight procedure carried out by LR defines an Accessibility Level (AL) for autonomous or remote access to the system, in this case meaning cyber access for remote or autonomous monitoring.
In particular, the process examines digitally-enabled systems having remote access to onboard data. Mandatory within the AiP is a cyber-security risk assessment of the complete onboard integrated operational system.
“This certification validates Wärtsilä’s work in mitigating cyber security risks with the appropriate controls in the integrated system, when collecting and sharing operational data,” says Jonas Blomqvist, General Manager, Cyber Security, Marine Business at Wärtsilä.
“This takes Wärtsilä’s lifecycle offering to the next level, and knowing that these systems are cyber secure provides customers with the assurance that they are safe to use.”
Lloyd’s Register defines ‘cyber-enabled’ systems as those systems installed on board ships that have traditionally been controlled by the ship’s crew, but which can now include the capability to be monitored, or monitored and controlled, either remotely or autonomously with or without a crew on board.
