Easter Island, captured by Sentinel-2A a few days ago, on 7 April 2017. Easter Island, also known as Rapa Nui, is a Chilean island in the south-eastern Pacific Ocean, at the south-easternmost point of the Polynesian Triangle, and it is also one of the most remote inhabited places in the world.
Copyright: contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data (2017),
processed by ESA, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO. see also NASA picture
With around 90% of world trade carried by ships, making sure a vessel follows the fastest route has clear economic benefits.
By merging measurements from different satellites, ESA is providing key information on ocean currents, which is not only making shipping more efficient but is also helping to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.
Globcurrent data set - Ocean dynamics 2.0
Shipping companies forecast ocean currents down to a depth of about 15 m to route their vessels through favourable currents and avoid those that might hinder a voyage.
Reliable forecasts are essential for making sure that goods arrive on time and that ships use as little fuel as possible.
The problem is that forecasts might not always be accurate.
Globcurrent V1 (2015):
Geostrophic + Ekman @ 15m depth overlaid over ODYSSEA Sea Surface Temperature
Combining satellite measurements such as sea-surface height and temperature, surface winds and gravity, along with measurements taken in situ, can yield a unique view of ocean-surface circulation.
ESA’s Globcurrent project has merged measurements to build a picture of daily global ocean surface currents over the last 24 years.
Shipping companies can use this information to understand general circulation characteristics of particular regions.
Building on Globcurrent, a near-realtime product would then allow them to choose the most reliable forecast for a given time and location.
Based in Marseille, France, CGM-CMA is a leading worldwide shipping company.
Through more than 200 shipping lines, the company operates on every one of the world’s seas.
The company is using satellite data from ESA’s Globcurrent project to optimise shipping routes.
Ocean scientists therefore teamed up with CGM-CMA, a worldwide shipping group, to optimise routing using Globcurrent data.
Fabrice Collard from Ocean Data Laboratory said, “The lack of confidence in ocean-circulation models has hindered ship routing.
“Today, Globcurrent can help assess which forecast products are the most reliable for a given local area. This, in turn, helps shipping companies choose a particular route that would make use of favourable currents.”
Ship track overlaid on a sea-surface temperature map from ESA’s Medspiration project and surface current streamlines from ESA Globcurrent project.
Patrice Bara from CGM-CMA remarked, “Reducing container vessel fuel consumption is an important challenge, especially when trying to cut down on emissions that contribute to global warming.
“Based on our experience with the Europe–Asia route, using existing ocean forecast products gives us a 0.4% cost saving. However, Globcurrent could help us achieve savings of up to 1.2% on fuel consumption.
“It is extremely important for us to assess the reliability of model forecasts against Globcurrent products in near-real time and to achieve our first target of reducing emissions of carbon dioxide by 180 000 tonnes a year.”
The western Mediterranean Sea has a variety of features that can be used to optimise ship routing.
Part of the challenge is to extract high-level features of interest such as water-type boundary fronts and significant currents of interest for a particular ship voyage.
This image shows sea-surface temperature overlaid with Globcurrent streamlines.
The white broken line shows the planned passage of a ship that takes advantage of ocean-surface currents.
Craig Donlon, ESA ocean scientist, added, “The importance of ocean surface currents cannot be overstated for those working on the ocean.
“Helping European industry to fine-tune their ship routing operations with Globcurrent brings not only financial savings but also the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
“Now Globcurrent has been demonstrated, the operational generation of products will be transferred to the Copernicus Marine Environmental Monitoring Service in the coming months.
“ESA will continue the fundamental task of scientific research and development to maintain and evolve the new system to take full benefit of the Copernicus Sentinel-1, Sentinel-2 and Sentinel-3 satellites, and in the future Sentinel-6.”
You have either been hacked... or just didn’t know you have been hacked.
I predict that the first catastrophic maritime cyber incident will not be the result of a direct attack on a safety critical specific piece of equipment.
It will be the result of an infection on a random PC, perhaps an unassuming email to a crew member, whose PC is either connected to the vessels internal super highway or he transmits the infection internally whilst it lies dormant.
Crypto locker, or Ransomware software (used by thousands of hackers), are easily available to download on the dark web, neither of which may necessarily attack the equipment they infect; they can lie dormant and infect connected equipment when nobody expects.
You have been warned.
With the increasing use of systems with embedded software on ships and mobile offshore platforms, cyber security is becoming critical not only for data protection, but also for reliable operations.
Information security agencies are reporting that up to 97% of the attacks are actually consisting of tricking users via social engineering techniques.
To address this awareness risk, DNV GL’s Maritime Academy developed an e-learning course for your crews and shore staff to raise awareness concerning cyber security, about threats and countermeasures, addressing your cyber security management system by encouraging the crew’s good cyber hygiene.
You will learn to understand the importance of your Cyber Security role as a user of IT & OT (Operational Technology) systems and how to protect yourself and your organisation against cyber security threats.
Cyber-attack is the current buzzword, known by some as an industry killer and even as the potential cause of the next world war, but thought by others to be a myth.
So where does the maritime industry stand in all of this?
In the main, but certainly not universally, the maritime industry has a dismal record in its slow and painful transition from paper and analogue methods of shipping to new innovative technologies when compared to industry rivals like aviation.
But why is this, and how could it affect cyber security in the maritime arena?
Or have some seafarers not even evolved enough to be talking about it yet, let alone implementing new cyber procedures on board ship.
We have all met “that Captain” who is nervous about the machines on his ship.
While the maritime industry doesn’t seem to have been strategically targeted in terms of the vessels themselves, there is now plenty of talk of accidental or naive seafarers accepting a generic phishing email that goes on to attack their computers.
Major corporations like Google and Yahoo have release statements stating they were deliberately hacked.
The question is what will be first for the maritime industry, the deliberate or strategic hacking of an individual ship, or the shipping corporation as a whole.
There has been a call for cyber specialists to come and give answers to the potentially very real dangers facing the industry that could not only damage reputations, but cause disruption to trade worth billions of pounds to the industry.
Not all is lost though, as long as we can move the industry forward to cope with the digital world we live in today.
Cyber security was a hot topic in 2016 – however now we are in 2017, and the seafaring community are becoming more aware of what can potentially happen.
There is a real threat for cyber activists to start gaining and changing sensitive shipping data from our onboard equipment.
Such as changing the vessels route to cause a grounding, gaining access to digitally controlled engine rooms and causing alarm mute whilst an engine fails or even catches fire due to a manual overload by the hacker.
With more and more companies looking for insight into how to stop attacks from occurring, the main area of concern is the lack of security awareness by both companies and employees as they have been taken aback by the swift rise in the industry’s threat level from cyber security; almost nonexistent just a few years ago to today’s high alert.
It is expected that shipping companies and independent vessels could be next on the list for major cybercrime activity as it is as yet mainly unexplored territory for hackers who are only now starting to realize its huge potential as a target.
Attacks now have the capability to obtain sensitive ECDIS, AIS and GPS data, to name but a few, so it is vital that the correct procedures and processes are in place to stop the worst from happening.
see a live attack on standard maritime equipment
The scary part; 51 percent of U.S. adults suffered some kind of data security incident between December 2015 and December 2016.
In 2015 there were 781 reported major company data breaches in the U.S. alone due to cyber-attacks which combined cost companies $400 billion.
These are only the reported data breaches. Sadly there is often an element of sweeping under the carpet in all industries.
This total will continue to rise if the maritime industry, where the proportion of those of digital native age is far lower, do not adapt to ever changing technology and the major security threats it brings with it.
Overall, the predicted cost of cyber-attacks in 2019 is estimated at a colossal $2.1 trillion.
The issue, alongside a lack of awareness by employees and users of operating systems, is the development speed of technology.
This digital age of super computers, 4D printing and nano technology is like no other and is proving to be self-accelerating, i.e. one technology is put into operation while the next generation, more powerful and innovative, is being produced, thereby creating an always expanding, developing and aggressive cycle.
But, due to the speed of production, this process can lead to an unstable, unsecure and untrusted platform, as it is not able to keep up with ever changing threats.
After years of this development, technology companies are starting to adapt to the issue by developing and applying software updates weekly which try to manage security flaws within the software, while changes to future developments can help manage the constantly increasing cyber-crime threat; until the next global threat takes place or takes over.
Some maritime software manufacturers have used a physical security method of locking out their systems in order to intercept physical security threats altogether, however this ironically increasing the complication of applying security software updates.
This restriction can complicate a shipping company’s decision to have an integrated bridge system due to issues with syncing and communication between different software manufacturers, also meaning only specialized engineers and trained software technicians are allowed to apply updates, causing additional issues.
Restrictions like these could mean that your system is 80 percent more susceptible to cyber threats.
First off, the solution is simple; but it will cost you, which no one likes to do unless it’s necessary. Only some companies feel that cyber security is important enough to invest into it.
Nevertheless you will watch multiple companies become complacent and unconcerned about the real threat in the water, until it becomes a reality, and the organization comes grinding to a halt.
In reality, if you spend as much on coffee as you do on cyber security measures, you will be hacked.
It is alleged that almost every company in the World has already been hacked, or if not, will be soon.
FBI director James Comey had the following to say on Chinese hackers: “There are two kinds of big companies in the United States. There are those who've been hacked by the Chinese and those who don't know they've been hacked by the Chinese.”
This is the world as it is and therefore we need to change with it, not be 10 steps behind.
First, we know the industry is struggling from sector to sector, but cyber attacks will only make it worse, so the first move is ensuring everybody is educated in cyber security awareness.
Preferably starting from the top and working down so the entire seafaring community can spot a cyber-attack and know what action to take in response.
Experienced educational companies (such as ECDIS Ltd, DNV GL, Maritime Training, NCC Group, JWC Int.) exist that offer in-depth, classroom based courses in the subject of cyber security.
Crewless ships might be the target of cyberattacks Platform supply vessels – Autonomy means more potential routes for infection
(Courtesy of Rolls-Royce)
Countless companies are missing the correct procedures when it comes to security.
A robust IT security policy is highly recommended, as this allows employees and users of all IT equipment to be clear as to how company data and information should be used on IT equipment.
It’s not just small companies either that struggle in this war against cyber activists.
Large corporations are also at major exposure risk, primarily due to not having a dedicated IT and security team.
It is recommended that a company appoints a cyber security chief to implement and respond to all cyber security related issues or system flaws that may be found.
This is so one person has ultimate responsibility for implementing and maintaining all cyber security measures within the company thus ensuring consistency of approach.
Cyber security attacks are incorrectly thought of as attacks that occur just over the internet due to the wrong security measures being taken; however lack of physical security can also be a major factor in the cause of industry changing attacks.
During the twentieth century a majority of attacks occur due to people not taking the correct measures to keep our IT equipment safe, another reason why we need everyone to be aware of what’s coming.
It really is as easy as someone to come into your reception and ask you to print off a copy of their CV from a USB stick, which is actually infected with multiple viruses, this could ultimately allow someone else complete control of your businesses entire network and therefore most likely, thereby destroying it.
In summary, cyber security isn’t an issue we can ignore, it may not be heard of yet as giving direct threats towards our vessels but this will come in time when noticed by any cybercrime activists who either want to damage the industry or cause major damage to infrastructure or even human life.
It can be averted.
Many, if not all, shipping companies have some form of internal networked server that allows for all of their computers to communicate and send and save files between them, and therefore also connect to the internet, so with the improper procedures in place it could be easy for anyone keen to infect an auxiliary piece of equipment that connects to the primary.
Think of the random software updates that happen every day, for example to an engine room sensor test, or to the bridges digital anemometer that may appear non safety critical, but they are connected to safety critical systems.
We often concentrate and develop robust procedures purely for the few safety critical pieces of equipment, but the attack will take place on a tertiary system that is connected to it.
British scientists exploring an underwater mountain in the Atlantic Ocean have discovered a treasure trove of rare minerals.
Their
investigation of a seamount more than 500km (300 miles) from the Canary
Islands has revealed a crust of "astonishingly rich" rock.
Samples
brought back to the surface contain the scarce substance tellurium in
concentrations 50,000 times higher than in deposits on land.
Tellurium
is used in a type of advanced solar panel, so the discovery raises a
difficult question about whether the push for renewable energy may
encourage mining of the seabed.
The rocks also contain what are called rare earth elements that are used in wind turbines and electronics. Energy implications
Known
as Tropic Seamount, the mountain stands about 3,000m tall – about the
size of one of the middle-ranging Alpine summits – with a large plateau
at its top, lying about 1,000m below the ocean surface.
Using
robotic submarines, researchers from the UK's National Oceanography
Centre found that the crust is dark and fine-grained and stretches in a
layer roughly 4cm thick over the entire surface of the mountain.
Dr
Bram Murton, the leader of the expedition, told the BBC that he had
been expecting to find abundant minerals on the seamount but not in such
concentrations.
"These crusts are astonishingly rich and that's
what makes these rocks so incredibly special and valuable from a
resource perspective."
He has calculated that the 2,670 tonnes of tellurium on this single seamount represents one-twelfth of the world's total supply.
And
Dr Murton has come up with a hypothetical estimate that if the entire
deposit could be extracted and used to make solar panels, it could meet
65% of the UK's electricity demand.
Tropic Seamount: The mountain stands about 3,000m tall
source : NOC / NERC
He says he is not advocating deep-sea mining, which has yet to start
anywhere in the world and is likely to be highly controversial because
of the damage it could cause to the marine environment.
But Dr Murton does want his team's discovery, part of a major research project called MarineE-Tech, to trigger a debate about where vital resources should come from.
"If
we need green energy supplies, then we need the raw materials to make
the devices that produce the energy so, yes, the raw materials have to
come from somewhere.
"We either dig them up from the ground and
make a very large hole or dig them from the seabed and make a
comparatively smaller hole.
"It's a dilemma for society - nothing we do comes without a cost."
Scientists are now weighing up the relative risks and merits of mining on land as opposed to on the seabed.
Scientists fear that even before one of the last frontiers of exploration, the ocean deep, has been properly studied it will already have been exploited by commercial deep-sea mining looking for rare
Mines on land often require forests and villages to be cleared,
overlying rocks to be removed and roads or railways to be built in order
to extract ores with relatively weak concentrations of minerals.
By
contrast, mines on the seabed would extract far richer ores, covering a
smaller area and with no immediate impact on people - but instead
killing marine life wherever digging machines are deployed and
potentially devastating a far wider area.
One major concern is the
effect of plumes of dust, stirred up by excavation of the ocean floor,
spreading for long distances and smothering all life wherever it
settles.
To understand the implications, the expedition to
Tropic Seamount conducted an experiment, the first of its kind, to mimic
the effects of mining and to measure the resulting plume.
Deploying
from the UK research ship James Cook, a remotely operated vehicle
deliberately pumped out hundreds of litres of sediment-filled water
every minute while other robotic sensors were positioned downstream in
the ocean current.
According to Dr Murton, early results indicate
that dust was hard to detect 1km away from the source of the plume,
suggesting that the impact of mining could be more localised than many
fear.
But this comes as different disciplines within marine
science are coming up with a range of perspectives on this emerging
development.
The ocean has a wealth of resources.
From food, to travel, to pharmaceutical needs, and to energy, the ocean has always provided for mankind.
And now, mankind is turning to the ocean for minerals and metals needed for the technology we use in our everyday lives.
An exploration into the emerging industry of deep sea mining leads to more questions than answers.
Lucrative nodules
A study led by Dr Daniel Jones,
also at the NOC, reviewed evidence of seabed exploration and found that
in the wake of mining many marine creatures would be likely to recover
within a year but that few would return to their previous levels even
after two decades. Another study focused on tiny organisms on the floor of the Pacific Ocean in a region known as the Clarion-Clipperton Zone, which stretches in a belt south of Hawaii.
Much
of this zone has been licensed by the UN's International Seabed
Authority to companies from more than a dozen countries to search for
minerals in the potato-sized rocks or "nodules" lying on the seabed.
Prof
Andy Gooday, also of the NOC, and colleagues found that among the
metals-rich nodules, there is a far greater diversity of single-celled
organisms called xenophyophores than previously thought.
Their research identified as many as 34 species of these lifeforms that are new to science.
The concern would be for the ecosystems that are built around any mined seamount
These organisms occupy one of the lower rungs in the food chain and
also play an important role by forming hard shell-like structures, like
miniature coral reefs, that provide habitats for other creatures.
Prof
Gooday says that the range of life in the sediments of the deep ocean
can be compared with that of a tropical rainforest and that "life on the
ocean floor is more dynamic" than anyone expected.
He believes it is unlikely that seabed mining would cause species to go extinct but that the impact locally would be severe.
"If
you eliminate these xenophyphores, which are very fragile and would
certainly be destroyed by mining, it would destroy habitat structure for
other organisms.
"It's difficult to predict and, like everything
in the deep sea connected with the effects of mining, we need to learn
more – we still know so little about what's going on down there."
Jacob Roggeveen and the Easter Island
Plan of Isla de San Carlos, discovered on the 15th of November 1770, by el capitán de fragata Don Felipe Gonzáles de Aedo
Log of the Resolution 1772-1775 Easter Island
Rapa Nui
