Maritime Sector Exposed: 87% of Respondents Hit by Major Cyber Incidents

Nearly nine in ten maritime respondents have experienced significant operational technology cyber incidents in the past year, according to research from Honeywell Technologies.

The company's 2026 Operational Technology Cybersecurity Benchmark Report found that 87% of maritime respondents had suffered a major OT cybersecurity incident in the preceding 12 months. This puts maritime among the most exposed critical-infrastructure sectors globally, behind energy and utilities at 91%.

Honeywell's research covered over 600 leaders from various industries, including maritime, manufacturing, energy, oil and gas, healthcare, and others across the Americas, EMEA, and Asia-Pacific. The report highlights a gap between companies' confidence in their cyber programmes and what they can actually see and protect.

The study found that despite 88% of respondents describing their OT cybersecurity programmes as mature, only 21% had a complete inventory of operational technology assets. Furthermore, just 33% had fully integrated OT into a centralised security operations centre, while only 20% continuously monitored connected IoT equipment such as cameras and sensors.