NORMA Cyber was formally opened on 1 January 2021. The centre will provide cyber security services to Norwegian shipping companies and several ship owners, who have already become members of NORMA Cyber.
“We have experienced great interest from the shipping and maritime industries, and the ambition is to give Norwegian shipping an international competitive advantage, as digitalisation in shipping picks up speed,” said Lars Benjamin Vold, Managing Director of NORMA Cyber.
Maritime cyber security
Almost all marine operations are dependent on global networks - on the ship, in port or with the cargo, from navigation and planning to environmental and regulatory compliance.
These connections can be compromised by cyber-attacks and it is necessary to detect and limit these attacks, in order to avoid major consequences.
Countering cyber-attacks on marine operations
We offer our members a framework for efficient information sharing"
Lars Benjamin Vold adds, “We offer our members a framework for efficient information sharing, as well as different proactive cyber security services. In this arena, it is obvious that you are more efficient if you manage to collaborate on security issues.”
Lars further said, “Norwegian shipping and the maritime industry have long traditions when it comes to cooperation and information exchange, within security and contingency preparedness, and I am convinced that we will be able to continue that work within cyber security.”
Norwegian maritime companies join NORMA Cyber
Several shipping companies and maritime companies have now joined NORMA Cyber, a joint initiative of the Norwegian Shipowners' Association and the Norwegian Shipowners’ Mutual War Risks Insurance Association (DNK).
“In an increasingly uncertain cyber market, NORMA Cyber provides great value for the maritime sector. Wallenius Wilhelmsen (Wilhelmsen) is at the forefront, when it comes to digitalisation, so we immediately saw the advantage of becoming a member of NORMA Cyber,” said Filip Svensson, Marine Operations Management at Wilhelmsen.
Stig Rabben, HSEQ Manager at DOF, said “DOF supports the initiative and the joint work to establish NORMA Cyber as a centralised security service with a focus on shipping. We look forward to working closely with the NORMA Cyber team now that NORMA has become operational.”
NORMA Cyber
NORMA Cyber is the first-of-its-kind in the world and the team consists of five people
NORMA Cyber is the first-of-its-kind in the world and the team consists of five people, with broad backgrounds from defence, maritime industry and cyber security. Arne Asplem, Head of Intelligence, has extensive experience in security management and cyber security in private industries, and has also worked for several years in the National Cyber Security Center and the Armed Forces.
Arne Asplem leads a team consisting of Øystein Brekke-Sanderud, with several years of experience from offshore and subsea maritime fields, and also has an education in Digital Forensics. Marthe Brendefur has several years of experience from the Armed Forces, where she has, among other things, served on a frigate. She has a degree in Digital Forensics.
Technical Team
Øyvind Berget, Chief Technical Officer, has several years of experience from the Armed Forces and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Øyvind has an MsC degree in IT security. Lars Benjamin Vold, Managing Director, has a long career from the Armed Forces and has worked for four years with security and contingency preparedness in DNK.
Lars Benjamin Vold has a Bachelor’s degree in Economics. From April 2021, the team will be further strengthened, with the addition of an experienced engineer with extensive knowledge and experience in vessel systems.
Partnership with Norwegian Shipowners Association
“We want to further strengthen our team and the plan is to have a total of between 10 to 14 employees in the centre, by the end of 2021,” said Lars Vold.
NORMA Cyber has offices and an advanced operations room in Oslo, Norway and works closely with the existing professional environment, within security and contingency preparedness in DNK and the Norwegian Shipowners Association, which is located in the same building.
DNK and the Norwegian Shipowners Association’s membership consist of 420 Norwegian shipping companies and operators who control a total of 3400 ships and oil rigs. Members of the Norwegian Shipowners Association and DNK automatically qualify for membership in NORMA Cyber.