China's state-owned Shanghai Zhenhua Port Machinery Company, known as ZPMC, has denied that its cranes pose a cybersecurity threat to U.S. ports.
Last month, the White House announced it would spend $20 billion to replace Chinese-made surface transport (STS) container cranes at U.S. ports, citing cybersecurity concerns.
Last week, news broke that a Congressional investigation into security vulnerabilities in critical infrastructure at U.S. ports discovered cellular modems in components of ZPMC cranes at U.S. ports.
“These communications equipment were not part of the equipment contract, and port authorities could not determine why the pieces were installed,” the House Homeland Security Committee and the House Select Committee on China said in a statement.
But Chinese crane manufacturers, which supply about 80% of the lifting equipment used in U.S. ports, denied wrongdoing.
“ZPMC is aware of recent actions taken by the U.S. government based on cybersecurity concerns regarding U.S. ports and media reports that ZPMC cranes were equipped with 'cellular modems,'” the company said on its website. stated in the statement above.
“ZPMC takes these allegations seriously and believes that without a thorough review of the facts, such reports can easily mislead the public. It also poses no cybersecurity risk to the port.”
Crane manufacturers say their equipment is manufactured and delivered in accordance with international standards, applicable laws and customer specifications.
Last April, South Korea announced it would inspect all cranes supplied by China after the US government warned that ZPMC cranes could be used for espionage purposes.
