More than one in four suppliers of maritime parts and services have been identified as carrying high or very-high cyber vulnerabilities, according to recent data released by Achilles Network. This concerning finding comes amid a growing emphasis on integrating verified environmental, social, governance (ESG), and cybersecurity indicators into procurement processes within the maritime industry, aimed at bolstering supply chain resilience and reducing compliance risks.

The data emerged from a comprehensive 12-month review of over 1,000 global suppliers, which assessed risks spanning environmental, social, governance, and cyber domains. The analysis revealed that 28% of suppliers exhibited elevated cyber risks. Moreover, over half of the examined suppliers lacked crucial third-party assured safeguards such as anti-bribery systems, public liability insurance, or established information security policies. Environmental management practices were also found to be lacking, with approximately 25% of suppliers not measuring their greenhouse gas emissions and more than half using uncertified carbon systems. However, there were positive signs as well, with nearly half of the suppliers employing certified environmental management systems and around 13% having decarbonisation plans in place.

This data has significant implications for the maritime sector, where the exposure of supply chains to cybersecurity threats could disrupt operations and undermine compliance with increasingly stringent regulations. In response to this challenge, Procureship and Achilles have deepened their longstanding partnership, announced initially in March 2025, to integrate Achilles verified ESG and cyber indicators directly into Procureship’s digital procurement platform. This alliance allows shipowners and operators to access third-party ESG assessments at the point of supplier evaluation within their procurement workflows.

Grigoris Lamprou, Co-founder and CEO of Procureship, highlighted the critical value of these insights for the industry: “Understanding suppliers’ ESG capabilities is essential for global shipowners to protect operations and strengthen their sustainability strategies. By ensuring these data points are now available within Procureship, our users have the confidence to work with suppliers that can strengthen their own business practices and minimise any potential risk.”

Achilles CEO Craig Rodgerson further underscored the shift towards data-driven risk management in maritime procurement. “The industry is increasingly relying on data-driven insights to manage environmental and cyber vulnerabilities. By embedding this type of data into the Procureship platform, users can gain early warnings of potential supplier vulnerabilities, enabling them to shift their risk management from reactive to predictive.”

The integration of verified data is pragmatically reflected in the Procureship system, where Achilles scores are displayed in supplier profiles and search results. This seamless visibility facilitates informed procurement decisions that align with operational needs and regulatory compliance, especially as shipowners and logistics operators in key markets like India adopt stricter supplier vetting standards in line with global best practices.

These findings align with broader industry concerns about the resilience of maritime supply chains in a digital era, where cyber risks are increasingly significant alongside environmental and social governance factors. Industry experts acknowledge that strengthening these due diligence processes not only mitigates risk but also supports the maritime sector’s ongoing sustainability and digital transformation goals.

In sum, the Achilles data and the Procureship partnership underscore an urgent call for maritime companies to intensify oversight of their suppliers’ cybersecurity and ESG credentials, ensuring that procurement strategies contribute to both operational security and sustainable development.

Source: Noah Wire Services