Singapore Telecommunications (Singtel) and Inmarsat have inked a strategic partnership with Inmarsat covering maritime cyber-security.

Under the partnership Singtel’s cyber-security arm Trustwave will provide its Unified Threat Management (UTM) solution to be used shipboard and delivered through Inmarsat’s new Fleet Xpress high-speed broadband service.

According to Singtel the UTM service offers a suite of cyber security defences, such as advance firewall, anti-virus, intrusion prevention and web- filtering, which is backed by global round-the-clock support. The new service will be launched in the second half of 2016.

“As maritime systems become more digital, it is imperative for the industry to protect data onboard ships against all forms of cyber attacks,” said Andrew Lim, managing director, business group for Singtel.

“Our partnership with Inmarsat will provide maritime companies with a cyber security solution to meet rapidly evolving cyber threats, globally.”

Ronald Spithout, president Inmarsat Maritime, commented, “The landscape of shipping is changing. As we move from traditional shipping into the ship intelligence era, the threat of cyber attacks have never been more real.”