A backdrop of progressive digitalisation, increasingly international conflicts and the sharp rise in cyber threats makes maritime safety and security a necessary and timely priority for our entire industry. This essential, universally relevant topic has been chosen as the theme for the 14th Sea Tech Week®, to be held in Brest between 15 and 17 October.

Security is important around the maritime world, from tackling pollution, navigating safely and handling data, to managing and protecting vessels, ports and MRE installations, and preserving our oceans. And security runs like a thread through the Sea Tech Week® programme. This event is expected to attract around a thousand participants from business, industry, the public and non-profit sectors, and research and training institutions. It will focus on the latest marine science and technology innovations with a professional trade fair, B2B meetings and over 30 workshops.  

For France’s Ecole Navale, “Maritime safety and security are at the heart of our training and our professions.”

The naval academy is a member of the Campus Mondial de la Mer and trains naval officers, masters students and PhD candidates. It also provides specialist navigation training. The Ecole Navale is located in Lanvéoc, a commune in the Finistère department. Catherine Bellis, the academy’s Head of Partnerships and Development, explains “Security ties in with navigation, and is a paramount concern for us – as is safety, in relation to protection against malicious acts. This year’s theme is therefore of particular interest to us.” Catherine says seafarers are increasingly expected to use information gleaned from sensors and digital tools. “Artificial intelligence can help us sort and make use of data, especially where an operator is at risk of cognitive overload due to the vast quantity of it. This is our next challenge: to make that data secure, differentiate between it all and analyse it.” On 15 October 2024, the Ecole Navale will hold a workshop on using onboard connected systems and AI, whether that’s on naval, passenger or cargo vessels. “We’ll be approaching the technical and human aspects of this from three angles: the first is state-of-the-art onboard technology, with user feedback. The second is the human-computer interface, and the third is how all this impacts safety and security, thinking about the systems’ vulnerabilities.”

 
For France Cyber Maritime, this is also crucial: “We need to know how to protect ourselves from the growing threats.”

France Cyber Maritime is also a member of Campus Mondial de la Mer, and since it was first established in 2020 has been a part of Sea Tech Week®. This Brest-based organisation raises awareness of cybersecurity within the maritime community by providing support and training. It will hold a joint workshop with Bretagne Développement Innovation on 17 October about new, dedicated technological solutions, “especially the cyber range” says Xavier Rebour, Director of France Cyber Maritime. In Brest there are two such ranges in operation: one at the Ecole Navale and one at Diateam’s site: “We use them to replicate how an information system behaves so we can test the infrastructure, equipment, software and operators.” In our current context of ever-greater threats alongside the increasing use of digital tools and technologies, the need for security has never been more vital: “In 2019, 15 marine cyberattacks were recorded worldwide. By the end of 2023 that number had risen to 140.” The maritime sector is of strategic importance for France’s economy and its sovereignty. At the same time, the sector has specific vulnerabilities associated with the equipment it deploys and the way this is used. “Ports and ships are all connected using complex systems. This provides many possible entry points for cyber criminals, spies and hacktivists .”
 

Tickets for Sea Tech Week® are available here: buy now and catch the early bird price.

For more information, contact Emmanuelle Dilasser: emmanuelle.dilasser@tech-brest-iroise.fr or Anaëlle Saliou: anaelle.saliou@tech-brest-iroise.fr

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Technopôle Brest-Iroise organises Sea Tech Week® in its role as part of Campus Mondial de la Mer. Located at the tip of Brittany, the Campus is France’s premier community of experts studying and working with the ocean. This event is co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), the Regional Council of Brittany and Brest Métropole. It is also officially recognised as part of the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development.
Research and development are thriving in Finistère, with the involvement of university laboratories, top-ranking higher education institutions, university innovation clusters, marine stations, competitiveness hubs, the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), the French National Institute for Ocean Science (Ifremer), the Naval Hydrographic and Oceanographic Service (SHOM) and businesses, including start-ups and SMEs. This is fertile ground for cooperation on maritime-related projects from marine biology to defence, renewable energy to fisheries. Finistère stimulates and facilitates a whole range of companies, large corporations and SMEs, industries and services working in maritime innovation. The shared local expertise opens up international opportunities.

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PRESS CONTACT
Sea Tech Week 2024
Marie Boutron - m.boutron@rivacom.fr
06 20 95 33 42

Article illustration credit ©France Cyber Maritime