8 January 2021By Miranda Blazeby, By Marilyn Mower
Is your yacht’s cyber security plan up to date? If you are the master or owner of a commercially registered (charter) yacht of 500 GT or more in or visiting a US Port, the United States Coast Guard (USCG) may want to see it. The USCG announced recently that it will start enforcing the universal requirement for a cyber security plan from January 1, 2021 for all commercial yachts and ships over 500GT visiting US ports, regardless of flag.
Although the International Maritime Organization (IMO), a division of the United Nations charged with global maritime regulations, enacted the requirement that a formal cyber security plan be included in a yacht’s International Safety Management (ISM) Code in July 2017 effective from January 1, 2021, enforcement responsibilities were a bit cloudy, being left to Flag States. The USCG’s recent announcement makes the United States the first to announce it will get serious about cyber security within its waters.
The IMO Resolution, MSC428(98), calls for documents and training regarding cyber security protection to be in place “no later than” the date of the first annual Document of…
