Background:

In recent years, the adoption of lithium batteries in the maritime market has shown significant growth, becoming a mega trend in the industry.

Due to the nature of lithium batteries, their Battery Management Systems (BMS) need to be continuously connected to the on-shore cloud. This continuous connectivity is crucial for monitoring battery status, optimizing performance, and ensuring safety.

Against this backdrop, a vessel lithium battery solution provider faced the challenge of quickly adapting to and meeting the IACS UR E26 and E27 cybersecurity standards. These standards have become mandatory in the maritime industry to ensure the safety of vessels in the digital age. The provider needed an efficient and reliable solution to achieve compliance without extensive R&D investments.

 

Challenges:

  1. Rapid E26 & E27 Compliance:
    The provider needed to make their solutions compliant with E26 and E27 standards swiftly. This required integrating advanced cybersecurity features into their products while ensuring a streamlined and effective compliance process.
  2. Minimized R&D Efforts:
    To remain competitive in a challenging market, the company aimed to achieve compliance with minimal R&D efforts, saving time and costs

Solution

Faced with these challenges, the provider adopted Robustel's MG460 and RCMS Stack Marine solutions, offering an ideal answer.

  1. Integration of MG460:
    The MG460 was integrated into their lithium battery management system, utilizing its rich interfaces such as RS485, I/O, and Ethernet to connect various onboard equipment. This setup enabled the battery system to connect via 4G LTE near the shore and automatically switch to satellite communication offshore.
  2. Data Processing in the Internal DMZ:
    The provider ran their software within the internal DMZ of the MG460, leveraging its powerful computing capabilities for local data processing in a protected zone, secured with antivirus software. This setup met the requirements of E27 standards, offering robust edge computing capabilities without the need for expensive external marine PCs, thus reducing costs.
  3. Remote Management with RCMS Stack Marine:
    The RCMS Stack Marine platform provided remote device monitoring, firmware updates, and configuration management, allowing the provider to manage their fleet of devices from anywhere at any time. This capability was crucial for maintaining operational efficiency and quick response .
  4. Secure VPN Communication:
    RCMS Stack Marine also offered VPN-based direct communication between the MG460 and service engineers. The ship's captain and crew could control the connection's enablement and disablement via the BAM system, minimizing cybersecurity risks and ensuring compliance with IEC61162-460 ed.3 standards.

Solution Architecture

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Solution Components

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MG460 Maritime Cyber Security Gateway

As the world's first product to receive IEC61162-460 (Ed. 3) type approval from DNV as well as 460-Gateway and 460-Wiresless Gateway, the MG460 not only meets the highest cybersecurity standards for maritime navigation and wireless communication systems but also complies with IEC60945, meeting SOLAS vessel standards.

Device & Network Management Platform

Through RCMS Stack Marine, users can monitor the operational status and network connectivity of devices in real time, enabling timely problem identification and resolution. Furthermore, it provides VPN network services that comply with IEC61162-460 standards (direct communication mode), ensuring the security and integrity of data transmission.

Solution Benefits

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VPN

Comprehensive Device Management:
RCMS Stack Marine's real-time monitoring and diagnostic tools allowed engineers to troubleshoot remotely, eliminating the need for on-site visits and improving global device management efficiency.

Support for Secure Development Lifecycle:
As an IEC62443-4-1 certified company, Robustel provided continuous support to meet the secure development lifecycle requirements outlined in E26 and E27 standards.

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secure

Enhanced Edge Computing Capabilities:
Utilizing the MG460's internal DMZ, the provider avoided the need for expensive external industrial marine PCs, benefiting from robust edge computing capabilities.

Rapid Market Deployment:
By adopting MG460 and RCMS Stack Marine, the provider achieved E26 and E27 compliance quickly without major changes to their products. This helped them rapidly introduce a compliant solution to the market with minimal R&D efforts, saving time and costs.

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