ClassNK and e5 Lab in joint research agreement on cybersecurity

e5 Lab is developing a comprehensive digital platform for ships (Marindows) that consists of connection and applications necessary for the robotization of ships.

Can ships evolve at the speed that software evolves, rather than at the speed of hardware, as in the past? That’s one of the goals of Marindows, a comprehensive digital platform for ships being developed by Japan’s e5 Lab to significantly improves the safety, productivity and efficiency of ships.

With OTA (Over the Air) updates, Marindows will continue to evolve to become safer, smarter, more efficient, and environmentally friendly.

A proof of concept evaluation of Marindows will be the first joint project carried out under a joint research agreement on cybersecurity signed by e5 Lab and ClassNK.

“By considering cybersecurity together with ClassNK, a cybersecurity expert in the maritime industry, we will expand the speed and scale of the digital revolution in the maritime industry that starts with Marindows,” says Mr. Yasumasa Suetsugu, Chief Technology Officer at e5 Lab. “Digital and cybersecurity must be considered as a set, and I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to actively collaborate with ClassNK.”

“We are very pleased to sign this joint research agreement with e5 Lab, which is engaged in cutting-edge digital initiatives, and to be involved in such an advanced project,” says ClassNK Executive Vice President, Director of Innovation Development Division, Hirofumi Takano. “Cyber security measures must be widely implemented since the comprehensive digital platform for ships needs to connect various devices and systems on board. Through this joint research, we would like to verify the best practices that the society has jointly established with cooperating organizations, together with the e5 Lab experts, and use the knowledge obtained to establish standards for comprehensive digital platform for ships.”