Security Conference

Maritime College hosted second Maritime Security Conference

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SUNY Maritime College hosted the second biennial conference, MARSECON II, highlighting important issues in maritime security on Thursday, November 8, in the Maritime Academic Center.

Separate national economies around the planet operate in more or less globally integrated ways because of the ships, ports and terminals that facilitate the movement of goods and services by means of extended supply chains. For this reason, the secure operation of ships and facilities – physically and virtually – is critical. As the Internet and other technologies more closely connect the world’s economic engines and industries, maritime security is increasingly important, and maritime companies and professionals are constantly adjusting to the changing world and altered demands.

This important conference encouraged the understanding of extant changes and promoted 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 continual demands of Maritime Security are a hotbed issue. Security in general, and cybersecurity in particular, are together a major concern, especially in a world where perhaps, by 2030, more than half the ships on the blue water ocean could be autonomously controlled by artificial intelligence and human crew based in shore offices,” said Larry Howard, Senior Professor of Global Business and Transportation and co-chair of the MARSECON II organizing committee.

The Conference organizing committee included Larry Howard and Jeffrey Weiss, both senior Professors of Global Business and Transportation (GBAT), Captain Joseph Ahlstrom of the Marine Transportation Department, GBAT Professor Dennis Cooney, and former GBAT Department Chair, Professor Robert Edmonds. 

The Conference program:

  • 8:00-8:30 – Continental Breakfast and Social Interaction, including picking up of badges and information items by those who have registered in advance.
  • 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 S.U.N.Y. Farmingdale, the panel will feature 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 present on this question.

  • 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 is Director of Strategy and Operations for the TradeLens platform. The platform is a collaboration between Maersk and IBM to digitize and streamline global trade, leveraging new technologies including Blockchain.

The Conference ended at  2:30 PM following a question and answer session with Daniel Wilson.