The MV COSCO Shipping Aries, recently delivered to the Chinese shipping giant, is the first ever container ship to receive Lloyd’s Register’s cyber-enabled ship (CES) descriptive note for its energy management system.

The ship complies with the revised version of LR’s cyber-enabled ships ShipRight procedure, issued in December 2017. The note gives the system an accessibility level 3 (AL5), which is defined as “cyber access for autonomous/remote monitoring and control (onboard permission is required and onboard override is possible).”

The highest AL5 rating includes “autonomous monitoring and control, with no onboard permission required or override possible.”

Cyber-enabled systems are those installed onboard ships that would conventionally be controlled by the ship’s crew but which, through recent technology advances now include the capability to be monitored, or monitored and controlled, either remotely or autonomously with or without a crew onboard the ship.

The functionality provided by cyber-enabled systems can range from simple remote monitoring with a crew onboard through to a fully autonomous vessel without a crew onboard. As the risks can vary considerably, the assessment of cyber-enabled systems requires a risk-based approach to identify the hazards introduced by cyber-enablement and to mitigate the associated risks

COSCO is hoping to apply LR’s CES descriptive notes to some of their other vessels.

“We have always attached great importance to cyber enabled fleet in order to enhance fleet management, reduce energy consumption and control emission,” said Shi Yongxin, a COSCO Shipping safety manager.

LR is a leading player in the safe adoption of digital technologies within the marine and offshore sector, and has pioneered a ‘total-systems’ approach. In February 2016, LR issued the first guidance on cyber-enabled ships, “Deploying Information and Communications Technology in Shipping – Lloyd’s Register’s Approach to Assurance.” This identified the elements that constitute a cyber-enabled ship and the activities that need to take place to ensure that cyber technology does not introduce a safety risk, effectively providing the industry with a route map to understanding the implications of digital technology. This was followed with the introduction of the industry’s first ShipRight procedure, which details LR’s framework for accepting cyber technology. This was recently revised using lessons learned from live projects involving LR partnerships with key clients such as Rolls-Royce.