- 80% of the “ship-to-shore” cranes moving trade at U.S. ports are made in China and that the U.S. government has claimed in recent testimony “use Chinese software.”
- But port executives interviewed by CNBC say that operating software on these cranes comes from Germany, Japan and other countries outside the People’s Republic of China.
- More than half of the roughly 200 Chinese cranes at U.S. ports have been inspected by U.S. Coast Guard, with Rear Adm. Jay Vann, commander of Coast Guard’s Cyber Command, saying the equipment could be “vulnerable to exploitation.”
In an aerial view, shipping cranes made by Chinese owned manufacturer Zhenhua Heavy Industries Company (ZPMC) stand at the Port of Oakland on March 08, 2024 in Oakland, California.
Justin Sullivan | Getty Images
Cybersecurity risks associated with Chinese-made cranes at U.S. ports are not new, and recent White House action and hearings on Capitol Hill have escalated the claims about potentially serious national security vulnerabilities embedded in key infrastructure. But the Biden administration, lawmakers and ports management continue to differ in their views of the true nature of the threat.
In a press briefing ahead of the recent executive order from President Joe Biden to strengthen the cybersecurity of America’s ports, Rear Adm. Jay Vann, commander of the U.S. Coast Guard Cyber Command, told reporters that 80% of the “ship-to-shore” cranes moving trade at U.S. ports are made in China and use Chinese software. He…
