Kongsberg Maritime has achieved a significant milestone for the cyber security of its products with the completion of testing to comply with IACS UR E27 which is based on IEC 62443, including DNV Cyber Security Profile 1 certification. The testing covers a range of its digital products, including automation, navigation and Dynamic Positioning  systems.

In order to comply with the new Cyber Security Requirements, which were introduced on 1 July, Kongsberg Maritime decided last year to expedite the certification of its product range, starting with the Automation & Control portfolio.

To achieve the Type Approval certification, Kongsberg Maritime set up an extensive programme, evaluating each product, and implementing the necessary features and documentation to ensure adherence to security, quality, health, safety and environmental standards.

Kongsberg Maritime expects the majority of its digital products to receive DNV Type Approval for compliance, by the end of August. The next step will see the company expand into integration and energy systems, propulsion and cargo handling products.

Oscar Kallerdahl, Director Cyber Security, Automation & Control, at Kongsberg Maritime, says: “We understand the challenges ship owners face in maintaining cyber security over the 25-year operation of a ship, so our focus is to establish a baseline of cyber security for all our digital products.

“Once it was clear that these new regulations were coming into place, we have moved quickly, working closely with DNV to prioritise products for Type Approval certification.”

In addition to bringing peace of mind to ship owners, the Type Approval certification will also benefit shipyards, during the design, integration, installation and testing of Kongsberg Maritime technology for newbuild and retrofit projects. With the products already being pre-tested for cyber security compliance, it saves yards time in the engineering and testing stages.

Kallerdahl adds: “We are in a new era of cyber security and it’s clear that ship owners will need to be proactive in seeking the most resilient and effective security measures to protect their assets against growing and more hostile cyber threats. It is a priority for us to manage risk for our customers, and this certification sets a baseline for our product teams understanding and implementing of the right security features.”

Jarle Coll Blomhoff, Head of the Digital Ship Systems section at DNV Maritime, said: “As vessels become increasingly reliant on digital technology and connectivity, cybersecurity is emerging as a key topic in the maritime industry, fundamental to ensuring safe shipping.

“We are pleased to continue our close cooperation with Kongsberg Maritime on cyber security which started when we first developed our initial DNV Cyber secure rules back in 2017. This project demonstrates their ongoing commitment to delivering a full portfolio of systems with a strategic and independently verified approach to cyber risk reduction.”

The products in the first phase of DNV Level 1 cyber security certification, are: the K-Pos DP system; K-Steering; K-Chief; K-Safe; K-Bridge; K-Thrust; K-IMS; the Riser Management System; and Kongsberg Remote Services.

The close collaboration between Kongsberg Maritime and DNV has increased procedural efficiency by creating a unified approach to interpreting and documenting certification requirements. The streamlined way of working means quicker approvals and enhanced focus on product testing.