Cyprus, Israel and Greece launched the process of establishing a trilateral Maritime Cybersecurity Center of Excellence (MarCCE) in Nicosia on Thursday, following a summit commitment by the three countries’ leaders late last year.
Senior cyber officials from the three nations — including Cyprus Commissioner of Communications George Michaelides, Head of the Cyprus Digital Security Authority Diamandis Zafeiriadis, Director General of the Israel National Cyber Directorate Brig. Gen. (Res.) Yossi Karadi, and Head of the Greek National Cybersecurity Authority Michalis Bletsas — met on 25 February to kick off the centre’s establishment.
The MarCCE implements a commitment made by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides at the Jerusalem Summit in December 2025. It will operate under the auspices of the Cyprus Digital Security Authority, in close coordination with the Israeli and Greek cyber authorities.
The centre will focus on four areas: threat intelligence and real-time information sharing on maritime cyber threats; specialised training and cyber range exercises simulating attacks on ports, vessels and critical maritime infrastructure; policy and regulatory alignment between member states; and research linking deep-tech startups with maritime industry players.
The MarCCE is also intended to support small and medium-sized enterprises in the maritime sector by making advanced defence technologies more accessible, and to foster collaboration between academia, industry and government on research and development.
The centre is expected to begin operations within the coming year as part of a multi-year plan. Officials said it would remain open to additional regional partners.
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