Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they consider merchant shipping part of the UK's critical national infrastructure; and what advice they give to UK shipping companies about cybersecurity.

Whilst merchant shipping is vital to the well-being of the country, individual vessels are not considered part of the UK’s critical national infrastructure, as this term tends to refer to fixed physical infrastructure. But transport as a whole is designated as a critical sector for the UK.

The Department for Transport regularly liaises with both the ports and shipping industries to address cyber security concerns. A Code of Practice for Ports is scheduled to be published in July 2016. Research into cyber vulnerabilities on vessels has also taken place with the co-operation of shipping companies and it is anticipated that a Code of Practice will be published in due course. In the meantime, we are also working with the International Maritime Organization to address global concerns. Guidelines produced by industry are currently being discussed by the IMO and are available on the Baltic and International Maritime Council website.