Inmarsat Maritime, a Viasat company, has received Cyber Security Type Approval from Bureau Veritas Marine & Offshore (BV) for NexusWave, its fully managed, bonded multi-network connectivity service.
The approval evaluated NexusWave’s compliance with the International Association of Classification Societies’ (IACS) Unified Requirement E27 (UR E27) and marks another significant milestone in Inmarsat Maritime’s strategy to deliver secure, resilient and future-ready connectivity for the increasingly digital maritime industry. It follows NexusWave’s ClassNK Cyber Security Type Approval against the same IACS requirement earlier this year, providing further independent review of the security controls embedded within the service.
Driven by customer requirements, BV’s Type Approval demonstrates Inmarsat Maritime’s ability to support ship operators across multiple classification frameworks, enabling consistent deployment of NexusWave across global fleets while meeting vessel-specific class requirements.
Inmarsat Maritime worked with BV to demonstrate that NexusWave architecture and security controls satisfy the requirements of IACS UR E27. BV’s assessment covered the NexusWave security controls and system scope previously reviewed against IACS UR E27, including the onboard ICT architecture, network equipment, orchestration processes and relevant managed service edge infrastructure.
Rather than assessing individual components in isolation, the review considered how these elements work together as an integrated system to support cyber resilience across the onboard connectivity environment.
Gert-Jan Panken, General Manager and Vice President, Inmarsat Maritime, said: “The maritime industry is becoming increasingly connected, and with that comes greater demand for cyber resilience across onboard operational and business environments. This approval reflects our commitment to helping customers confidently embrace digitalisation while maintaining the security, reliability and compliance expected of mission-critical maritime communications.
“Beyond validating NexusWave against IACS UR E27 requirements, the approval demonstrates the strength and flexibility of our approach. By working with multiple classification societies, we can help ship operators navigate evolving cyber security requirements while deploying a reliable and consistent connectivity platform across diverse fleets worldwide. Secure connectivity is now a strategic enabler of operational efficiency, safety, compliance and crew welfare.”
Christophe Chauviere, Marine & Offshore Technical & Operations Excellence Senior Vice-President at Bureau Veritas, commented: “Cyber resilience is becoming an increasingly important consideration as shipboard systems become more connected and digitally integrated. IACS UR E27 provides a consistent framework for assessing whether onboard systems and equipment have been designed with appropriate cyber security measures in place.
“Our assessment of NexusWave considered the relevant onboard ICT architecture and associated components as an integrated system. The Type Approval helps ensure that NexusWave meets the applicable requirements of UR E27 and provides ship operators with independent reasonable assurance that cyber resilience has been considered as part of the design and implementation of the solution.”
NexusWave intelligently bonds multiple connectivity underlays, including GEO, LEO, LTE and L-band, into a single managed service. Security is embedded within its architecture, including network segmentation, encryption and centrally managed security capabilities designed to support resilient corporate, operational and crew connectivity.
BV’s Type Approval adds to NexusWave’s growing portfolio of independent cyber security credentials and further reinforces Inmarsat Maritime’s position as a trusted partner for secure maritime digitalisation. As vessel connectivity ecosystems continue to evolve, Inmarsat Maritime remains focused on helping customers unlock the benefits of always-on, multi-network communications while supporting customers as cyber security and classification requirements continue to evolve across the maritime industry.
Robban Assafina is now on WhatsApp channel. Click Here
