The executive order signed President Biden to enable the Department of Homeland Security’s authority to directly address maritime cyber threats, including through cybersecurity standards to ensure that American ports’ networks and systems are secure. 

The US Coast Guard will issue a Maritime Security Directive on cyber risk management actions for ship-to-shore cranes manufactured by China located at US commercial strategic seaports. Owners and operators of these cranes must acknowledge the directive and take a series of actions on these cranes and associated Information Technology and Operational Technology systems. 

“This action is a vital step to securing our maritime infrastructure’s digital ecosystem and addresses several vulnerabilities that have been identified in the updated US,” declared White House.

At the beginning of this year, US launched security risk investigation into ABB questioning its cooperation with China’s leading port equipment manufacturer Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industries on port cranes installed at US ports.

The administration said it will rebuild US’s industrial capacity to produce port cranes with trusted partners, and will invest over $20 billion, including through grants, into US port infrastructure over the next five years.

In replacement, PACECO Corp, a US-based subsidiary of Mitsui E&S Co., Ltd (Japan), is planning to onshore US manufacturing capacity for its crane production. PACECO intends to partner with other trusted manufacturing companies to bring port crane manufacturing capabilities back to the US for the first time in 30 years, pending final site and partner selection.