This presentation is based upon the master’s project for the American Military University (to be) submitted in September of 2022. Focusing on the potential risks associated with the various degrees (one through four) of autonomous shipping and their impact on Atlantic Canada’s seaports, this work aligns the current state of autonomous shipping’s cyber security concerns with the current (and soon to be implemented) cyber security requirements not only from the International Maritime Organization but also the International Association of Classification Societies (IACS) and industry best practices. This includes not only the NIST Cyber security framework (version 1.1), but also guidance from doctrine such as NIST 800-53B focusing on cyber security controls but also the guidance in the IACS unified requirements for computers and cyber security on board ships (E22 currently and E26 and E27 coming into force on 01 January 2024). The comparison of the current state of controls for autonomous shipping, taking into account the recent IMO activities (MSC.1 / 1638 Regulatory Scoping Exercise) and the UK voluntary model generated by industry identifies areas that warrant further attention.
These gaps are then examined through the view point of port operations. Halifax has seen its share of difficult and even tragic situations involving maritime shipping in the port, such as the 1917 explosion. This structured approach intends to identify areas where the Information Technology, Information Systems and other capable practitioners may wish to devote energy as autonomous shipping becomes more prevalent.
Your Speaker
Allan McDougall has over 30 years experience across the Asset Protection and Infrastructure Assurance domain. This spans military (Canadian Armed Forces – combat engineers), public service (Senior Security Policy and Projects at DFO, Compliance Auditor for the Canadian Coast Guard, Senior Inspector for Marine Facilities at Transport Canada, and Manager for Physical Security at Canada Border Services Agency), and private sector with both the security (senior consultant) and maritime (corporate leadership roles) domains. Within the volunteer community, he has held both leadership (ARVP Region 6 Certification, Certification Chair) and supporting roles involved in assisting individuals working through their efforts towards certification in a number of association.
In addition to multiple certifications across several domains (Professional In Critical Infrastructure Protection, Certified Master Anti-Terrorism Specialist, Computer and Information System Security Professional, Certified Protection, Professional, Physical Security Professional, and others in the maritime space), he has assisted in the conceptualization and implementation of maritime security education programs at the graduate level (Coventry University, UK and currently working with Acadia University’s Professional Certificate in Maritime Security). He has four co-authored published works focusing on Transportation Systems and Critical Infrastructure with the latest editions still being used in several universities world-wide. He is currently working on a fifth edition of the Critical Infrastructure work due to be out in April of 2023. While contributing in this way, Allan also continues his own professional development and continuous learning through a range of technical courses and academic programs, the most recently being the master’s program at American Military University.