Some time ago, the Port of Durban, the busiest port in South Africa, interrupted its operations due to civil unrest, robbery and violence in some parts of the country, and its business has just resumed. According to South African media reports, container operations have been disrupted again due to a suspected cyber attack on port operator Transnet.
Several major ports in South Africa, including Durban and Cape Town, were once again forced to shut down. Business at South Africa’s major ports has been paralyzed.
Terminal operator declares force majeure
South African state-owned terminal operator Transnet operates South Africa’s major ports, including Durban and Cape Town, as well as an extensive rail network. South Africa’s ports and national freight rail lines have been severely damaged by days of unrest and violence in parts of the country.
The suspected cyberattack reportedly disrupted systems that track containers and organize entry and exit from the terminal. News outlet “The Witness” quoted a truck driver as saying: “Ships and trucks are unable to unload cargo at the port due to a ‘virus in the system’.”
After being attacked by a cyber attack Later, Transnet declared force majeure at the country’s main container terminal, according to a document sent to customers on Monday. The measure covers the ports of Durban, Nqula, Port Elizabeth and Cape Town.
Force majeure is a contractual provision invoked when factors beyond a company’s control prevent it from fulfilling its commitments to its customers.
Transnet’s IT system failed, which had a huge impact on container transportation at the port.
The shipping company announced port jumping
According to satellite tracking, in The number of ships calling at Durban and Port Elizabeth reached double digits, and queues began to form outside Cape Town piers.
A local truckers association has told customers it does not expect any freight to or from Durban until the cyber attack is resolved.
Importers already struggling with shortages of key commodities will now have to wait longer for containers on these ships. At the same time, the problem has left shipping companies unable to quantify the delay.
Ships scheduled to call at South African ports are now sailing to neighboring countries or skipping their African port calls altogether. Ships have already started to bypass South African ports and more are now likely to jump port.
In view of this, Maersk announced the cancellation of the calling voyage:
As of Tuesday , Transnet’s official website is still down.
“Some applications may continue to run slowly over the next few days and all operating systems will be restored in a staggered manner to minimize further risk and Disruption,” Transnet said in a statement.
However, some logistics operators said that the flow of containers has actually stopped.
According to Maersk’s latest update, Durban’s Transnet system continues to be down, although the gradual recovery of NAVIS is a positive development. However, all EDI client-facing functionality remains disabled.
Meanwhile, Transnet’s official website has been down since July 22, displaying error messages.
In addition, Maersk pointed out that it currently only accepts the export of refrigerated cargo, and the entire process is manual.
“We do not yet know when it will resume. For containers arriving by rail, it is not yet certain when the rail system will open,” the shipping company added.
At present, in terms of operations, some limited landside activities have resumed; while water operations are being operated manually, this is at least a gratifying development.
Transnet said in the notice that it is taking mitigation measures, including manual loading and unloading of containers, to ensure the continued operation of the container terminal, although the speed will be reduced. slow. </p
