# Maritime Cyber Security: A Global Challenge Tackled through Distinct Regional Approaches
## 4 Findings and Discussion  
This section presents the data collected, analyzes the findings, and discusses key points by linking them to the theoretical approach presented in Section 3. Based on the responses of the introductory question, it became evident that there is a consensus between maritime professionals regarding the importance of cyber security in the maritime transport sector. Specifically, the research team examined the importance of information or cyber security in the daily maritime transport operations, both in Europe and in Asia, as demonstrated in Figure 1a,b. When European and Asian responses were combined, it was observed that more than 90% of experts considered cyber security to be either very or somewhat important for their working environment, as demonstrated in Figure 2. This evidence shows that cyber security is more relevant presently for the maritime transport sector. As shipping is already a heavily regulated industry, where the compliance mindset remains predominant, the IMO introduced specific guidelines to address cyber security in shipping. The nature of these guidelines is at a rather high level without offering any specific insights on their implementation. As such, theme A of this survey aims to explore: How the industry is coping with the new IMO 2021 regulation requirements. Through this theme, a novel knowledge approach was introduced, which is needed for future policy guidance and clarifies any doubts in the long-run. It was deemed necessary, for the first question, to identify the competent authority that could provide guidance and assistance on the implementation of the IMO requirements. As presented in the literature review, the maritime transport sector consists of several entities that play a specific role in its successful development over the last century. Classification societies, P&I clubs, governments, flag states, marine insurance, and regional and international organizations now have to understand their role in addressing cyber security in shipping. Unlike the consensus unveiled in the previous question, the responses collected from the two working groups for this question highlight a significant difference \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{l l} \hline \hline  & **Questions** \\ \hline \hline
**A** & **How the industry is coping with the new IMO 2021 regulation requirements** \\ \hline
1 & How important is information (cyber) security to your daily job and activities? \\ \hline
2 & Which agency is more suitable to assist and guide the maritime transport sector in \\  & addressing cyber security? \\ \hline
3 & Is the IMO 2021 Cyber regulation the answer to cyber security for shipping? \\ \hline
4 & How prepared are shipping companies in meeting the IMO 2021 requirements and \\  & consequently addressing cyber security?(Difference in perception in what cyber \\  & security entails) \\ \hline
**B** & **How shipping companies experienced changes in daily operations due to COVID-19** \\  & **from the spectrum of cyber security** \\ \hline
5 & Has the COVID-19 pandemic affected the maritime cyber security landscape? \\ \hline
6 & Have you experienced a surge in cyber attacks in your organization during the pandemic? \\ \hline
7 & How effective have shipping companies been in adapting to the new norm due to the \\  & COVID-19 Pandemic? \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular}
\end{table} 
Table 1: Questions asked during the surveys. regarding the competent authority for shipping. As demonstrated in Figure 3b, the majority of maritime transport professionals in Asia (53%) state that classification societies are the predominant authority, suitable to assist and guide the maritime transport sector in addressing cyber security, followed by governments with 27% and flag states with 10%. This perception is not shared with their colleagues in Europe, where the IMO, classification societies, and P&I clubs share equal representation (approximately 25%), as demonstrated in Figure 3a. At the same time, flag states seem to get similar percentages in both working groups.