Ship operators will benefit from platform that provides intelligence, security operations and crisis response to cyber threats

Marlink, the smart network and ICT solutions company, has signed a strategic agreement with NORMA Cyber to strengthen the cyber security intelligence and resilience of its maritime customer base.

The Norwegian Maritime Cyber Resilience Centre is a joint venture between risk insurance provider Den Norske Krigsforsikring for Skib  and the Norwegian Shipowners’ Association. NORMA Cyber provides centralised cyber security services to Norwegian shipowners and other entities and aims to be the leading hub for operational cyber security efforts within the national maritime sector. NORMA Cyber’s member base consists of 420 Norwegian shipowners and operators controlling 3,400 vessels, drilling rigs and other mobile units.

Marlink is the first vendor of its type to partner with NORMA to provide a complementary service towards their mutual customer base. Combining the NORMA Cyber knowledge hub with its own cyber security portfolio, Marlink can offer an additional layer of cyber expertise designed to government graded specifications. Marlink’s suite of cyber solutions is designed to offer protection across multiple threat vectors. Its Endpoint Security solution blocks unauthorised data from entering onboard ship systems, enabling users to send and receive only approved data for each network component.

Its Unified Threat Management (UTM) service provides policies and rules at a network level segregating traffic and using advanced firewall settings to protect communications channels across a combination of networks, securing crew and business traffic.

Marlink CyberGuard Threat Detection, already installed onboard more than 1,000 vessels globally, enables ship operators to ramp up their analysis and response to cyber threats and ensures compliance with latest regulations and quality systems.

“Partnerships are vital to successful cyber security and our organisation is built on the belief that it is crucial to share information and collaborate to help our members and stakeholders defend against ever-evolving threats,” said Lars Benjamin Vold, Managing Director, NORMA Cyber. “We are truly grateful to have Marlink joining as one of the very first Maritime Vendor Members of NORMA. Our expertise is within understanding the threats that are of greatest interest to Marlink customers, and we see mutual benefit to this collaboration among all our stakeholders.”

“NORMA Cyber is the leading provider of cyber knowledge, insight and threat intelligence in the Norwegian maritime cluster and perfectly complements our provision of network and shipboard tools to address cyber threats,” said Nicolas Furgé, President Digital, Marlink. “The combination of knowledge gathered from the wider maritime cluster and that gained over many years of operations will provide tangible benefits to Marlink customers.”