A shore-based engineering team may need to see how a vessel’s engines are performing. That can help the team spot changes and plan maintenance. But if its job is to analyse the data, why give its analytics platform a route back into the systems producing it?
That question came up in a Cyprus Shipping News interview with Apostolos Giannetsos, ICT & Digital Transformation Executive at Cyprus Sea Lines. He described how the company separates onboard networks and sends selected operational data ashore without giving analytics platforms a return path into critical systems. Read the interview in Cyprus Shipping News.
Satellite broadband makes it easier to share information between ship and shore. How that connection is used depends on two design decisions. Which systems need to exchange data, and which services need to stay available if the primary connection fails?
Why onboard networks need clear boundaries
A vessel’s operational technology (OT) supports functions such as machinery monitoring, automation and control. Administrative IT handles tasks such as reporting and business applications. Crew Wi-Fi serves a different purpose again. Each network has different users and access requirements.
Network segmentation separates these environments and controls what can pass between them. For example, if a crew member’s device is compromised, restricting traffic between the crew network and OT helps prevent that device from becoming a route into operational equipment. The same principle applies to administrative systems. Each connection between networks should serve a defined operational purpose.
How to send vessel data ashore without opening a return path
Engine performance readings, machinery condition data and selected navigation information can all be useful to teams ashore. For analytics that only need to receive data, one-way transfer can give those teams visibility while keeping the receiving platform from communicating back through that path.
Giannetsos described how Cyprus Sea Lines uses logical controls or physical data diodes for this purpose. A hardware data diode physically enforces the direction of transfer. Logical controls restrict traffic through configuration, so their effectiveness depends on how those controls are implemented and maintained.
The IMO publishes wider guidance on maritime cyber risk management. Where applicable, IACS Unified Requirement E26 addresses cyber resilience at vessel level, while E27 focuses on onboard systems and equipment. Read the IMO guidance and the IACS overview.
What happens when the primary connection fails?
Network segmentation helps contain a cyber incident. Connectivity failover helps keep selected services available during a link outage. Both belong in the infrastructure plan because they address different failure scenarios.
For example, if a vessel switches to a backup connection with less capacity, operational reporting and communications may take priority over routine file transfers. A useful failover test checks whether those priority applications still work after the switch and whether the same access rules apply on the backup connection.
The same questions apply on land. A remote industrial site may need to keep equipment monitoring online during an outage, while a logistics depot may prioritise dispatch and tracking. In each case, knowing what needs to keep working helps determine the right backup connection and how to configure it.
Designing resilient connectivity for remote operations
The same planning questions apply to a vessel, a remote industrial site or a logistics depot. Which applications need to stay online? What backup connection is available? And what access does each application actually need?
At Brdy Telecom, we help businesses design connectivity around those requirements. Depending on the location and applications involved, that can include:
- Satellite broadband from Starlink, Eutelsat OneWeb or Amazon Leo for sites where fixed or mobile connectivity is limited, or as a backup to an existing connection.
- Peplink networking to manage multiple connections and automatically switch traffic to a backup link if the primary service fails. For example, a logistics depot could use satellite as a backup to its fixed line to help keep dispatch systems online. Explore Peplink solutions.
- Netcelero i-ctrl for remote business sites where an approved application needs a static public IP or VPN connectivity. For example, a site may need a consistent public IP for an application that only accepts connections from approved addresses. Explore Netcelero i-ctrl.
The practical starting point is to identify which applications can wait during an outage and which need to keep working. That helps determine what the backup link needs to carry and what to test before relying on it.
Reviewing connectivity for a remote site or planning a backup connection? Speak to Brdy Telecom about your requirements.