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TRIESTE –<\/strong> The Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport is updating the framework for maritime cybersecurity<\/strong> with a new circular that strengthens obligations for ships, ports and critical operators.<\/span><\/p>\n Through the General Command of the Italian Coast Guard (Harbour Master\u2019s Corps), the MIT has issued the \u201cNavigation Safety\u201d circular (No. 177\/2025 of 16 December 2025)<\/strong> to update cybersecurity measures for national ships, ISM management companies and port facility operators, introducing a more modern and more binding framework. The document aligns with the guidance of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and integrates the European framework set by the NIS2 Directive and Legislative Decree 138\/2024. Ports, maritime administrations and critical operators are therefore fully included among the entities essential to national <\/span>cybersecurity<\/span>. For shipping companies, masters, port facility operators and the authorities involved, the circular introduces clear obligations. A structured approach to cyber risk management is required, with measures integrated into the <\/strong><\/span>Safety<\/span> Management System and into ships\u2019 security plans, procedures updated, and adequate technical and organisational measures adopted. Central as well is the formalisation of prevention, detection, response and recovery processes in the event of an incident.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n A specific chapter concerns training. Crews, the Company Security <\/strong><\/span>Officer<\/span>, the Port Facility Security <\/span>Officer<\/span><\/strong> and IT\/OT technicians will have to follow updated qualification paths.<\/strong> Particular attention is devoted to critical systems, from propulsion to steering, from power generation to communications, up to passenger networks, VTS (Vessel Traffic Service) services and port infrastructure, which will have to be subject to periodic, documented assessments.<\/span><\/p>\n The circular also looks at emerging technologies. Autonomous systems and ship-to-shore services<\/strong> used in MASS (Maritime <\/span>Autonomous<\/span> Surface <\/span>Ships<\/span>) operations are mentioned, recognising their spread and the new vulnerabilities they bring. Lastly, the management of cyber incidents is strengthened, in coordination with the reporting obligations to CSIRT Italia (Computer Security <\/span>Incident<\/span> Response<\/span> Team) set out in Legislative Decree 138\/2024. \u00ab<\/span>Cybersecurity<\/span> is now an essential component of maritime safety and the protection of critical infrastructure\u00bb have jointly underlined the Coast Guard General Command and the NIS Authority <\/span>\u2013 Transport Sector. Circular No. 177\/2025 <\/strong><\/span>is published on the Coast Guard website and will fully enter into force from 1 November 2026.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" TRIESTE – The Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport is updating the framework for maritime cybersecurity with a new circular that strengthens obligations for ships, ports and critical operators.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":36781,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[25,26,44],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-36856","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-logistics","category-shipping-en","category-italy","et-has-post-format-content","et_post_format-et-post-format-standard"],"yoast_head":"\n
\n<\/span>The circular stems from the growing digitalisation of onboard systems and port infrastructure. Connectivity tools, ship\u2013port interfaces and remote access have improved efficiency, but they have also increased exposure to cyber threats. Computer <\/span>Based<\/span> Systems, which include IT and OT, are now central to operations and therefore sensitive targets.<\/span><\/p>\n