The maritime sector plays a pivotal role in the global economy, underpinning 90% of world trade. Whether through the containerised transport of goods, bulk carriers transporting foodstuffs, or the movement of vital fuels and derivatives, shipping is indispensable.

Equally, maritime passenger services – from international cruise lines to domestic ferries – enable tourism, support employment, and sustain essential supply chains.

The UK maritime sector, steeped in tradition, remains a critical component of both national security and international commerce. Alongside her allies, the UK recognises the necessity of keeping maritime trade routes open, efficient, and safe.

But in the 21st century, security no longer pertains only to physical threats. A rising tide of cyber risks now threatens the operational continuity, safety, and commercial integrity of the maritime domain.

The growing cyber threat

At CyberUK 2025 in Manchester, cybersecurity leaders and policymakers from the UK, Singapore, NATO, the US, Japan, and Germany gathered to confront the realities of an increasingly volatile cyberspace.

Central to the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) warning was the emerging threat landscape driven by artificial intelligence (AI) and the growing sophistication of state-aligned and criminal actors.

The NCSC outlined four major cyber risks affecting critical infrastructure, including maritime:

1. Accelerated Cyber Intrusion: AI will streamline cyber intrusion operations, enabling actors to compromise systems and extract sensitive data faster and more efficiently than ever before.
2. A Growing Digital Divide: As some systems rapidly integrate AI-driven defences, others fall behind, widening the vulnerability gap and complicating cybersecurity at scale.
3. Escalating Vulnerability: Without significant enhancements to existing cyber defences, critical infrastructure – ports, vessels, and logistics chains – will become progressively more exposed through the late 2020s.
4. Weaponised AI: The convergence of underinvestment in cyber resilience and the misuse of AI will empower both state-sponsored hackers and cybercriminals to steal intellectual property, decrypt encrypted data faster, and execute high-impact operations with global consequences.

This paints a stark picture: commercially sensitive R&D, vessel telemetry, crew data, cargo manifests, and port operations are all in the crosshairs. For innovative companies, academic institutions, and established shipping operators alike, data theft poses an existential threat.

A loss of intellectual property or breach of client data can erode market leadership, cripple valuation, and, at worst, destroy a business.

Ports and shipping: data-rich targets

The data ecosystem supporting maritime trade is vast and deeply interconnected. Ports, shipping companies, logistics providers, and vessel operators handle everything from vessel routing and cargo data to customs declarations and financial transactions. This data is not just operational – it is strategic, sensitive, and, increasingly, targeted.

DNV’s report, Maritime Cyber Priority 2024/2025, underscores the urgency of managing cyber risk not as a compliance checkbox but as a strategic enabler for innovation and resilience. The report highlights the digital interdependencies that define today’s shipping operations – and the mounting risk of disruption.

The recent attacks in May 2025 on major UK retailers, resulting in the theft of hundreds of millions of pounds worth of data and untold reputational damage, serve as a stark reminder. Maritime organisations, especially those involved in high-volume trade or critical supply chains, must prepare for similar levels of targeting and sophistication.

Moving beyond defence: a call for deterrence

For years, maritime cybersecurity has focused primarily on resistance and defence – patching systems, training crews, and responding to incidents. But that is no longer enough.

Now is the time to adopt a deterrence-based mindset. Cybersecurity strategies must include not only protective measures but also proactive risk mitigation and the deployment of advanced encryption technologies.

This includes safeguarding data both at rest and in transit with quantum-resistant encryption – an approach already endorsed by both the US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the UK’s NCSC.

Such measures can extend the time-sensitive value of stolen data, reduce its exploitability, and introduce friction into adversarial campaigns. In cyber terms, buying time can be the difference between containment and catastrophe.

Navigating toward cyber resilience

The maritime industry stands at a critical juncture. As AI transforms the capabilities of cyber adversaries and the value of maritime data continues to rise, cyber threats will become more aggressive, targeted, and consequential. Passive defence will no longer suffice.

It is imperative that maritime stakeholders – operators, port authorities, regulators, and suppliers – act decisively. Investing in proactive, scalable, and AI-aware cybersecurity solutions is no longer a matter of future-proofing; it is a present-day necessity.

Cybersecurity in the maritime sector must evolve from a backroom IT concern to a board-level strategic priority. Only by embedding resilience at every level – from ship design to data governance – can the maritime sector continue to serve as the reliable backbone of global trade in the digital age.