Published on: 2026-10-29
Source: United Nations – United Nations –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
October 29, 2026 Peace and Security
Artificial intelligence, autonomous systems, and cyberattacks are changing the rules of the game at sea, creating unprecedented risks and opportunities. This topic is being discussed on Thursday by the UN Security Council in open high-level debates. The meeting is chaired by Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis: the debates have become a key event during this country’s presidency of the Security Council in October.
Speaking on behalf of the Secretary-General, the Chief of his Office, Earl Courtney Rattray, warned that non-state actors have already demonstrated both the ability and the intent to use new technologies. According to him, AI has been the driving force behind change. He warned that the increasing speed and autonomy of technological systems raise the risk of errors, miscalculations, and unintended escalation, and their consequences ultimately affect people.
“Therefore, our starting point should be the human ability to make decisions. Technology must serve humanity, not the other way around,” emphasized Rattray.
He recalled that the basis for responding to these challenges is the UN Charter, the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, International Maritime Organization (IMO) documents, and other norms of international law. According to him, the Security Council can help link scientific data with policy, innovation with the development of international norms, as well as promote cooperation among states, international and regional organizations, businesses, the scientific community, and civil society.
Competition in Data Science
Journalist Fareed Zakaria called AI a technology unlike anything humanity has encountered before.
According to him, for decades maritime dominance was measured by tons of steel, armor thickness, and ammunition range, and to secure a sea route, it was enough to place a large military ship there. “This doctrine is outdated… The defining weapon of the next decade will not be a hypersonic missile, but an algorithm,” he stated.
Since the enemy can jam signals or cut digital communication lines, it is necessary to rethink exactly where data is processed, Zakaria noted. He pointed to advanced systems capable of analyzing data in real time right on site. Furthermore, according to him, vulnerabilities of the technology itself must be taken into account, as valuable data will become a target of cyber warfare.
A vessel transporting oil in circumvention of sanctions, or a criminal group illegally fishing, only needs to turn off its transponder to become invisible. AI deprives them of this invisibility by instantly matching millions of data points and detecting anomalies, Zakaria explained.
“The technology exists, the ocean is waiting – what is needed is the political will to implement it,” he said.
Protection of underwater cables
The head of Greece’s National Cybersecurity Authority, Michail Bletsas, emphasized that maritime security is a necessary condition for global political stability, economic security, and uninterrupted supply chains. Disjointed national regulations cannot protect an industry that is international by nature. “The global fleet needs global standards,” he stated.
According to Bletsas, it was previously believed that ship systems were protected from cyberattacks by the very isolation of the open sea. “That isolation no longer exists,” he noted. He referred to an industry report by Honeywell, according to which 87 percent of maritime organizations experienced serious cyber incidents in the past 12 months.
Submarine fiber-optic cables, which carry more than 95 percent of intercontinental internet traffic, are especially vulnerable: they can be physically damaged, and data can be intercepted. To protect this vital infrastructure, Blecas proposed an international action plan based on the IMO’s Particularly Sensitive Sea Areas mechanism. It involves using data from the automatic identification system of vessels and radar satellite images to detect suspicious activity near cable routes. Assistance to coastal states for deploying monitoring devices at key points is also proposed, along with establishing voluntary multilateral coordination mechanisms under the UN to notify, access, investigate, and carry out urgent repairs, “so that damaged infrastructure can be restored without diplomatic delays.”
Blecas also reminded that in February 2026 Greece, Cyprus, and Israel opened a Center of Excellence in maritime cybersecurity (MarCCE), and invited other countries to join it.
Please note; This information is raw content obtained directly from the information source. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.