International law firm HFW has joined forces with maritime cyber security company CyberOwl to provide comprehensive technology and legal services to the shipping industry around cyber risk management and compliance.
HFW’s shipping lawyers and CyberOwl’s team of data and security experts will work together to help the maritime sector prevent and actively defend against commercial, legal, technical and operational risks, including reviews of vessel cyber security seaworthiness, cyber security monitoring, and related legal and consulting advice.
This will complement HFW’s existing cyber security advice to clients as part of its standalone consulting business, HFW Consulting.
Paul Dean, global head of shipping at HFW, said: “Cyber security is a growing concern for the global shipping industry, with the continued move towards digitalisation creating new vulnerabilities and IMO 2021 introducing a regulatory requirement for owners to demonstrate that cyber policies are effectively implemented.
“The reality is that traditional cyber security systems are not designed to overcome the unique technical, operational and commercial challenges of shipping, such as the need to demonstrate due diligence in ensuring seaworthiness and cargoworthiness to minimise disagreements around liabilities in the unfortunate event of a cyber attack.”
CyberOwl ceo Daniel Ng added: “We have engaged with around 100 vessel owners and managers to understand their challenges – they have expressed a real lack of confidence that the steps they have taken to comply with IMO 2021 actually helps them defend themselves technically, operationally, commercially and legally in the eventuality of a cyber attack, and to prove that due diligence was exercised to ensure vessel seaworthiness and cargoworthiness.
“Working with HFW – the world’s leading shipping law firm – means we are able to provide clients with a broader offering combining first-rate legal and technology services. We see this as being a unique proposition – other cyber services providers are mainly focused on IMO 2021 compliance, whereas we are able to help the industry actively manage and mitigate their cyber risks.”
