Spear-Phishing

Spear-phishing is a targeted form of phishing aimed at a named individual or small group, using researched personal or company detail to make the lure convincing. Against shipping it impersonates a charterer, agent, or senior officer to authorize a bunker payment, release cargo documents, or harvest credentials, and underpins many business email compromise frauds in the sector. Because it defeats generic spam filters and exploits trust, mitigation leans on payment-verification procedures, multi-factor authentication, and role-specific awareness training within the safety management system under IMO Resolution MSC.428(98).