Hanwha to Set International Standards for Maritime Cybersecurity

Hanwha Systems, Hanwha Ocean, and Hanwha Power Systems
Joint Research with the American Bureau of Shipping
on Cybersecurity Regulations and More

Hanwha Defense is partnering with the American Bureau of Shipping to launch a joint research initiative aimed at addressing U.S. vessel cybersecurity regulations. This move signals Hanwha's intention to enter the U.S. commercial and marine markets and to take a leading role in setting global maritime cybersecurity standards.

Hanwha Group's three affiliates and the American Bureau of Shipping signed a joint research agreement on the 9th (local time) at Gastech 2025 held in Milan, Italy, to respond to the U.S. Coast Guard's cybersecurity regulations and U.S. flag vessel requirements. From left, Jungseon Lee, Executive Director of Basic Design at Hanwha Ocean; Joshua Divin, Vice President of Global Marine Business Development at ABS; Yongwook Lee, Vice President of Hanwha Systems; Hyungseok Kim, Executive Director of Ship Solutions Business Division at Hanwha Power Systems. Photo by Hanwha

According to Hanwha on September 10, Hanwha Systems, Hanwha Ocean, and Hanwha Power Systems signed a joint research agreement with the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) at Gastech 2025 in Milan, Italy. The agreement aims to address the U.S. Coast Guard's (USCG) cybersecurity regulations and the requirements for U.S. flag vessels.

U.S. flag vessels are ships under U.S. jurisdiction. For vessels operating across multiple countries, the principle of flag state jurisdiction dictates that the country whose flag the vessel flies-its flag state-bears responsibility for its oversight and control, regardless of the operator.

The joint research will focus on several key areas: analysis of U.S. cybersecurity regulations; establishing integrated security systems tailored to each vessel type; developing customized security solutions for ships; expanding technologies based on international standards (IACS UR E26); and advancing real-time threat response and resilience technologies. If the results of this joint research are applied to vessels, they can also be implemented on U.S. ships.

A Hanwha Systems representative stated, "Cybersecurity is now as critical to safety as navigation and propulsion. Through our collaboration with ABS, we aim to provide shipping companies with reliable security systems and to lead the era of next-generation smart ships."

Meanwhile, Hanwha Systems and Hanwha Ocean became the first in the world to obtain ABS's Approval in Principle (AiP) for the International Association of Classification Societies (IACS) UR E26 Cyber Resilience Basic Certification for an actual vessel. This achievement verifies their "integrated cyber resilience" technology, enabling ships to respond quickly and recover safely from a range of cyber threats-including hacking, DDoS attacks, and ransomware-without interrupting operations.

This milestone comes just eight months after Hanwha Systems received ABS's Type Approval (TA) for maritime equipment cybersecurity (IACS UR E27 TA) with its cybersecurity solution, SecuAider, in January.