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Interview

“We Are Doing Too Little with the Data We Collect!”

Interview with Andrea Grün, Senior Principal Engineer for electrical systems and automation at DNV GL

What would happen if there were a chance to deeply access the engine room level – even from afar? Completely new challenges for approvals and certification of components and systems have arisen for international classifying agencies because of this scenario. Agencies, like the Norwegian-German DNV GL, must factor cybersecurity for operational safety on board ships into their certifications. As Andrea Grün, Senior Principal Engineer for Electrical Systems and Automation DNV GL in Hamburg explains, remote access is the primary cause for concern.

In mechanical engineering, remote connections for remote maintenance, system optimization or streamlined maintenance cannot be wished away. From the standpoint of a classification agency, what do you consider important in network connections from ship to land?

Grün: System manufacturers want to equip their systems with remote access because this eases maintenance and service. We have established corresponding guidelines for such tasks. We have considered, for example, that there should be no updates while a ship is underway. We are not the police; however, we do prohibit access from land to the systems when the ship is at sea.

Why? In factory automation, optimization occurs during production.

Grün: We simply cannot accept the risk. That is, the risk of setting systems to undefined states because the data have been incorrectly or incompletely transmitted. Imagine that this happens on the high seas beyond sight of land. There aren't any service technicians who can reach you. These types of activities belong in harbors, and not on the international shipping lanes. Therefore, we have also determined that systems must be capable of returning to the old software status after an update. Regulating remote access thus provides operational safety, from our point of view, and guiding these initiatives is essentially why classification agencies like DNV GL exist.

How would this type of remote access, which conforms to regulation, look aboard a ship?

Grün: As I mentioned, connections are only permissible in harbors. As soon as the work is completed, the crew must verify that everything is in order and resume control of their ship – that is, sever the connection. There are clearly controlled hand-off and acceptance procedures.

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How does the crew deal with this type of remote access?

Grün: Frankly, most crews are not really happy about this technology, but then, they were not pleased about the introduction of ship data recorders, VDRs, either.

What is the crew afraid of?

Grün: It's about control, or, more accurately, the loss of control, however you want to look at it. There are shipping companies that want remote access in order to maintain control during the ship's travel via network. It's one thing to read data, it's quite another to engage with the controls.

How can a classification agency anticipate what is planned with remote access?

Grün: During certification, we always ask about specific topics. Let's take an alarm system as an example, which now has diverse functions as an integrated automation-, alarm-, monitoring- and control system, and is extremely powerful. These systems can just as easily control as monitor, and they are connected to the entire automation network. During the approval process, we are given descriptions of these systems that list all of the functions. If we come across the designation “remote access” in the documentation, we investigate further with the company. In general, we then request further specifications and ask them to demonstrate why the function is necessary.

What answers do you get?

Grün: That depends completely on who answers the question. Shipping companies use remote access to call up travel, consumption or cargo data, for example, to optimize their logistics chain. Machine manufacturers or system designers require remote access to diagnose their subsystems, which also includes service.