Willis Towers Watson Launches Customized Cyber Insurance for Shipowners

Willis Towers Watson announced the launch of CyNav, a new type of cyber insurance cover designed specifically for shipowners.

The new product addresses the growing need for an explicit marine cyber solution, built from the ground up to specifically address ship-operators’ exposures, rather than trying to use pre-existing generic cyber products amended marginally to fit marine exposures. Shipowners are increasingly reliant on technology for all aspects of their operations and their unique risks associated with this dependency can lead to significant financial damage.

CyNav includes the following key features:

• Crisis management costs cover that protects shipowners in the face of ransomware attacks, data breaches and much more.
• Business interruption cover in the event of a cyber incident that disrupts operations (including where the incident occurs at a third-party IT service provider upon which the shipowner relies).
• Property damage and loss of hire cover arising from a cyber-attack or satellite communication interference (spoofing).
• Loss of hire cover arising from disruption to or detainment of a vessel following a cyber-attack.
• Cover for fines and defence costs arising from regulatory actions, including those under GDPR and the Network and Information Systems Directive (NISD).

As the financial impact of cyber incidents continues to increase and the ‘silent cyber’ cover in traditional marine cover is being reduced, CyNav’s clear and affirmative cyber solution is designed to plug any remaining cyber gaps.

“Barely a week goes by without new cyber events affecting the maritime sector. Many are minor and unreported, but the major cases have caused consequential commercial losses in the hundreds of millions of dollars,” said Ben Abraham, global head of Marine at Willis Towers Watson.

“CyNav offers a genuinely pioneering marine-specific cyber solution. In an environment of increasing ingenuity of cyber criminals and increasing levels of cyber security governance in the maritime industry, CyNav anticipates the protection that shipowners need to mitigate their cyber risk,” he added.

Source: Willis Towers Watson

Topics Cyber New Markets Willis Towers Watson