Friday, July 7, 2017

APM Terminals Hacked

By Karen Robes Meeks

APM Terminals at the Port of Los Angeles and Tacoma are now re-opening following a massive cyber attack that hampered operations.

The A.P. Moller-Maersk Group, which bases its West Coast operations at APM Terminals Pier 400, opened the Los Angeles terminal on Friday and announced that it is “pleased to report that our operations are now running close to normal again.”

As of Thursday, July 6, most of Maersk’s international facilities are operating at normal capacity, with some experiencing delays because of backlog. Meanwhile, a handful of North American terminals are listed as normal or close to normal, including Los Angeles, Mobile, Port Elizabeth, South Florida and Tacoma.

“We understand the impact this situation has had on your supply chain and can assure you that we are making daily progress on a global scale,” Maersk said on its website. “We are prioritizing the recovery of tools and processes that are most critical.”

The Denmark-based company was among several firms under attack by ransomware that forced the shipping company to shutter its IT systems across multiple sites worldwide and close terminals on June 27.

One ship was able to leave Los Angeles early that Tuesday morning, but at least one vessel scheduled to arrive in Los Angeles last Friday (June 30) had been detoured to neighboring Port of Long Beach, according to the Press-Telegram.

Maersk said APM Terminals “continue to work towards full restoration of its IT systems.” “Our focus is on ensuring the best business continuity possible for our customers and business partners. We are collaborating with IT experts including national cyber-crime agencies and IT industry leaders, to reinstate services safely and without further disruption.”