Q GLOBAL NEWS CURRENTS


Ethical hackers discover container ship planning weaknesses


If attackers were to modify these messages, they


could cause a vessel to list by changing the order in which containers are loaded. They could also incur heavy fines for shipping lines, and cause damage to the environment, by forcing emergency discharge of ballast water as a result of unexpected out-of- trim situations caused by bay plan manipulation. Pen Test Partners further discovered that


hackers could switch off refrigerated containers — thereby spoiling large quantities of perishable goods on board. “Ship security has a long way to go to catch up


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Ethical hacking firm Pen Test Partners — which specializes in security testing of maritime, automo- tive, and utility control systems — has found a vulnerability in the load planning processes used by many container ships. According to the company’s senior partner, Ken


Munro, intercepting and modifying the messaging used in bay planning can be a “relatively straightfor- ward” operation. “When asked to investigate this, we noticed a lack


of security in the validation of the messages’ integrity and a simple phishing attack is all it takes to gain access,” Munro says.


with the level of security we expect in corporate networks. They are remote, difficult to update, and their IT hardware is often old and not well main- tained,” Munro adds. USB sticks are also commonly used to transfer


load plans from ship to port. However, a malware- infected USB could cause another serious issue for port authorities and vessel operators. “Ship owners and managers need to have a cyber


security plan in place and should review their current IT systems to make sure that any potential weak points open to attack are closed as soon as possible,” says Munro.


Fish react to one or two neighbours for group coordination


New research has shown that schooling fish constantly change which group members they pay attention to – and respond to just one or two neighbours at a time. Schools of fish are able to move


in unison because individuals react to the movements of other group members. However, it was not known


how many individuals each fish watches to achieve this group coordination. An international research team,


which includes scientists from the the University of Bristol, developed a new method combining behavioural analyses with a computer model to map the


chain of direct interactions in a school of fish. “Our research shows that in the


relatively common aquarium fish – the rummy-nose tetra species which show very strong schooling behaviour – there is a small number of influential neighbours, typically one or two, and they are not necessarily the closest ones,” says Dr Luca Giuggioli, senior lecturer in the Department of Engineering Mathematics at the University of Bristol. The rummy-nose tetra species


appears to have chosen a coordination strategy where an individual takes on the role of ‘leader’ depending on the


changing needs of the group. “Group coordination appears


to take place by fish constantly changing who they decide to pay attention to,” says Giuggioli. It’s important that schools don’t


have a consistent leader because it allows tasks to be divided more efficiently across the group and means collective behaviour is not dependent on one individual. The findings could be


developed to coordinate the actions of artificial systems and human-built agents, such as swarms of drones that could be used in the future for search and rescue operations, environmental and wildlife monitoring.


UK will spend the most on North Sea decommissioning


The UK has the North Sea’s largest decommissioning market, according the new Decommissioning Insight 2017 report by trade association Oil & Gas UK. From 2017 to 2025, the country


will spend an estimated £17 billion decommissioning assets on the UK Continental Shelf (UKCS). In the near term, annual


expenditure on the UKCS is forecast to remain consistent at £1.7 billion to £2 billion per year. This compares to figures of between £400 million and £800 million on the Norwegian Continental Shelf and £650 million to £800 million in Dutch-controlled waters. The largest category of


expenditure on the UKCS between 2017 and 2025 will be well plugging and abandonment (P&A), which will require £8.3 billion of resources. During this time period, it’s


thought that decommissioning will take place on 349 oil fields across the four regions of the North Sea. Six of these fields are in Danish waters, 23 are in Norwegian waters, and 106 are on the Dutch Continental Shelf. The remaining 214 fields are all on the UKCS. While the UK is investing the


most in decommissioning assets, Oil & Gas UK’s upstream policy director, Mike Tholen, believes the industry is successfully controlling the associated costs. “The Insight report reveals


that the average forecast cost for well P&A has fallen by 5% in the central and northern North Sea and west of Shetland, and by 4% in the southern North Sea and Irish Sea, with further cost reductions predicted as the sector ensures decommissioning is carried out as cost-effectively as possible, while maintaining high safety and environmental standards,” he says.


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