Qatar will soon issue a guide, the first of its kind in the region, to protect the marine e-assets and all information about ships and goods from cyber risks.

The country “has taken advanced steps to issue a guide to secure marine assets in the applications of operating ports and ships, which will be the first of its kind in the region, to enhance the use of the latest protection methods for marine electronic assets and all information,” Minister of Transport and Communications HE Jassim bin Seif al-Sulaiti told the Qatar Maritime and Logistics Summit.

This would pave the way for greater co-operation between the national navigation companies and the Q-cert (National Information Security Center) to ensure the safety of marine work from cyber threats.

The summit is hosted by the MoTC and jointly organised by Mwani Qatar as a strategic partner and Lloyds List. It brings together more than 450 experts, decision-makers and specialists in the fields of ports, maritime and logistics sectors as well as representatives and members of international organisations such as the International Association of Ports and Harbors, the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), and the International Association of Classification Societies.

On cyber threats, which is one of the topics discussed in the summit, the minister said that the region and the world at large are entering a new era that is different and full of challenges, perhaps the most important of which are cyber threats, pointing out that the maritime transport sector has become closely dependent on new technologies linked to the Internet and modern applications in managing its assets, so it has become necessary to prepare to face these threats.

Qatar has worked to develop laws and legislations in the field of transport, and has invested widely to develop infrastructure projects for the transport sector and its support services to keep pace with the changes and developments that are progressing, thus achieving the goals of Qatar National Vision 2030.

These investments have achieved a remarkable development for the maritime transport sector at all levels and contributed to placing Qatar with a leading position and a distinguished reputation on the map of the global maritime sector, al-Sulaiti said, pointing out that Qatar has ranked 12th globally in the quality of port infrastructure in the World Bank's Competitiveness Report 2019, and it has jumped four places in the efficiency of the seaport services index to become 15th globally.

Hamad Port's advanced infrastructure and modern technologies contributed to attracting international shipping companies and played an important role in smoothing handling operations, providing more comprehensive services and more solutions that allow customers to achieve maximum benefit in an ideal competitive environment for business, he said, adding the port has achieved 30% growth in 2019.

Hamad Port accounts for 27% of marine trade in the region, thanks to its advanced capabilities in addition to its important role in securing stable and sustainable supply chains that provide customers with integrated and competitive services, he said.