From the Baltic to the Mediterranean: A Comparative Review of Cloud-based Maritime Cybersecurity Strategies

This study provides a comparative review of how cloud integration is reshaping cybersecurity in the maritime sector, focusing on the Baltic and Mediterranean basins. It aims to identify how regional threat landscapes, governance frameworks, and industrial ecosystems influence both vulnerabilities and resilience in a sector increasingly reliant on digital infrastructures. Methodologically, the paper adopts a qualitative and interpretive approach, combining policy and regulatory analysis, technical assessment of OT/IT and cloud convergence, and case studies such as the NotPetya incident and the cybersecurity architecture of Fincantieri and its subsidiary E-phors. The paper contributes to the literature by (1) systematising regional approaches to maritime cyber resilience, (2) mapping transferable security patterns between two contrasting maritime ecosystems, and (3) integrating an industrial case study into a comparative governance framework. Theoretically, it extends maritime cybersecurity research by situating cloud adoption within regional security ecologies; practically, it highlights the managerial value of security-by-design practices, Zero Trust adoption, and cross-regional learning. Policy recommendations include the creation of EU-wide federated identity registries, regional threat intelligence hubs, and lifecycle-integrated cybersecurity frameworks across the maritime supply chain.