Five SUNY Maritime College faculty members will organize and host their second biennial maritime security conference Thursday, November 8, in the Maritime Academic Center.
National economies operate in a global environment and are interconnected, despite borders and boundaries, because of the ships, ports and terminals that are used to move goods and services through the supply chain. These global connections mean that safe and secure operation of ships and shipping facilities, physically and virtually, is critical. As the internet and other technologies more closely connect the world’s industries and economies, maritime security is increasingly important, and maritime companies and professionals are continually adjusting and adapting to changing demands worldwide.
To facilitate understanding and encourage discussion of the need for further secure and effective integration, Larry Howard, Jeffrey Weiss, Dennis Cooney and Robert Edmonds, all professors from the college’s Department of Global Transportation, and Capt. Joseph Ahlstrom of the Department of Marine Transportation, have organized the day-long conference. Howard and Weiss co-chair the conference organizing committee.
“The continual maritime security demands are a hotbed issue. Security in general, and cybersecurity in particular, are a major concern, especially in a world where it is possible that by 2030 more than half the ocean-going ships could be autonomous or controlled by artificial intelligence and people based on shore,” said Howard. “Some issues of maritime security are not new, but people are talking about them more than they were three or four decades ago. Now we also have the cyber risks to contend with and adapt to.”
The conference will include discussions of security from the perspective of charter parties, a panel about cybersecurity, the importance of simulators to security training, cybersecurity and blockchain technology.
The conference is free but registration is required. Register here.
The conference program is:
8 - 8:30 a.m.
Registration, networking and continental breakfast
8:30 – 9:15 a.m. – Maritime Security: A time charter perspective
Prof. Weiss will discuss maritime security clauses in time charters, including the most recent version of the New York Produce Exchange form (NYPE 2015). Earlier versions of the NYPE and other forms of time charters were less concerned with many maritime security matters (terror, stowaways, piracy, smuggling, etc.). Of course, this was prior to September 11, 2001, stricter attention to maritime security overall, and the implementation of the International Port and Security Convention (ISPS) and other legal regimes.
9:30 – 10:15 a.m. – Distinguished Panel Dialog on Cybersecurity
Chaired by David Kondrup, former chair of ASIS International, Long Island, and computer forensics professor at SUNY Farmingdale, the panel will feature Dr. Chris Clott, SUNY Maritime ABS Chair of Marine Transportation and Logistics, and Dr. Anthony Piscitelli, cybersecurity professor at Maritime College. The panel will discuss major developments of cybersecurity within the maritime industry and how those developments impact commerce, education and relations with various governmental agencies.
10:30 – 11:15 – How can simulators be an effective tool in security training?
Maritime College alumna Gisleide Bitencourt, area sales manager for Kongsberg, will give this presentation.
11:30 – 12:15 – Cybersecurity is maritime security
Capt. David Moskoff, senior expert advisor to NATO’s Transport Group for Ocean Shipping, will discuss current maritime cyber education and training, academics and professional, regulatory/government requirements and guidelines, including IMO, US Coast Guard, flag states, and maritime industry guidelines and rules, including BIMCO consortium, class societies, NIST, EU rules, and future needs of the maritime industry for employing cyber-savvy seafarers.
1:15 – 2 p.m. – Keynote speech: The impact of blockchain technology on the maritime industry
Daniel Wilson, director of strategy and operations for the TradeLens platform, will present the platform, which is a collaboration between Maersk and IBM to digitize and streamline global trade, leveraging new technologies. His speech will be followed by a Q&A.