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Do oil and gas tankers have a use for artificial intelligence (AI)? Thats the question Rigzone posed to maritime risk intelligence company Dryad Global, who in turn outlined a range of ways these tankers can utilize the technology.

Data mining was one use case Dryad highlighted in its response.

Throughout a tankers journey, they create and receive a continuous stream of data, a company spokesperson told Rigzone.

People are limited in their abilities to process and sort it. AI mines real-time data to provide alerts and offer vital information that was not on the radar of traditional sources, the company added.

This can mitigate a range of risks and assist in making quick, reactive decisions in critical situations, such as compliance (such as environmental), re-routing due to unforeseen circumstances, port scheduling problems, Dryad continued.

Another highlighted use case was efficiency.

AI can make oil and gas tankers more efficient, the company told Rigzone.

AI can be used to optimize fleet operations and the logistics route by analysing data from GPS, weather, and port traffic. For example, BP tracks the movement of its tankers in real-time using AI, which helps them to avoid congested areas and reducing shipping time, the company added.

This can also improve energy efficiency, Dryad went on to state.

The company also flagged maintenance as a use case.

Unplanned downtime is costing oil and gas companies $38 million on average, Dryad said in its response to Rigzone.

AI can help mitigate this risk by predicting when equipment and vehicles will need maintenance, reducing downtime and costs, the company added.

AI Protection

In a statement posted on its website last month, Dryad Global announced that it was leveraging BlackBerrys Cylance AI to advance the protection of vessels and maritime cyber endpoint security, toproactively detect malware and prevent cyberattacks, and optimize bandwidth and connectivity.

Maritime Security and IT Ops face mounting challenges due to limited resources and escalating threats. This complexity burdens Captains, CSOs, Vessel Operators, and Crews, diverting their focus from fleet operations, Dryad noted in the statement.

To address this, Dryad Global is partnering withBlackBerryto deliver a robust solution that encompasses a full range of cybersecurity services and an emergency response mechanism for maritime incidents, it added.

The core of this alliance involves integrating Dryad Globals ARMS platform withBlackBerrysCylance AI, ensuring top-tier AI-driven security and specialized consultations. This collaboration aims to safeguard vessel networks most susceptible component: endpoints, it continued.

Dryad highlighted in the statement that the partnership caters to diverse maritime sectors, including cargo, cruise, superyachts, and insurance.

With a surge in endpoints within the maritime and superyacht sectors, cyberattacks are on the rise, Dryad CEO Corey Ranslem said in the statement.

Our collaboration with BlackBerry is a proactive response, aiding maritime professionals in adapting to an evolving threat landscape, he added.

Dryad Globals commitment lies in holistic security, right from the ocean floor. With Cylance AI, we're channeling cutting-edge, prevention-focused technology, ensuring our ARMS customers receive top-tier protection, he continued.

Dryad highlighted in the statement that Cylance AI launched in 2012 as the industrys first AI cybersecurity solution and the industrys first predictive cybersecurity solution.

Predictive cybersecurity solutions arent just the future, theyre our present-day guards, defending against digital threats before they even knock on the door, Nathan Jenniges, the Senior Vice President and General Manager of BlackBerry Spark, said in a company statement at the time.

In line with BlackBerrys decades-long ethos that best-in-class security and productivity can coexist, Cylance AI enables organizations to stay ahead of cyberattacks without sacrificing operational efficiency, he added.

Maritime Cyber Security

Dryads latest annual report, which was released earlier this year, included an interview with Professor Kevin Jones, the Executive Dean of Science and Engineering at the University of Plymouth, about cyber security in the maritime field.

There were very few targeted attacks on the maritime sector, Jones said in that interview.

If there were, they tended to be at nation state level - things like large-scale GPS spoofing to investigate the attackers capability for doing those things, he added.

Jones went on to note, however, that maritime cyber-attacks are becoming a profitable mechanism that can be exploited by organizations up to the level of worldwide organized crime.

Most of the major shipping lines have been hit at some level or another in the last couple of years, and this wasnt the case five or six years ago, he said in the interview.

So that change has happened, in the same way as the banking sector: two decades ago they went from we dont have to worry about it to we are a prime target, he added.

In the interview, Jones warned that the attack landscape is going to get worse.

More and more people will realize the benefits they can get from maritime cybercrime. More and more tools will be developed to specifically target the sector, he said in the interview.

In summary, the sectors had a bit of a respite that the rest of the world hasnt, in terms of the classic situation of were out at sea, were an island, we dont have to worry about this cyber internet stuff existing until now, he added.

That period is over. There will be a rapid escalation until the maritime sector achieves the same security level as banking, road transport, power, or any of the other sectors, he continued.

To contact the author, emailandreas.exarheas@rigzone.com

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Do Oil and Gas Tankers Have a Use For AI? - Rigzone News