Malware hit port terminals here but workarounds were implemented. Some other places, and the global supply chain, weren't as fortunate.
This week’s Petya malicious software attack struck A.P. Moeller-Maersk, the world’s biggest shipping container operator. The Maersk Line website contained a page saying only, “We confirm that some Maersk IT systems are down. We are assessing the situation. The safety of your business and our people is our top priority. We will update when we have more information.”
According to the Journal of Commerce, the company was taking cargo bookings again, but its email and other communications systems were still down.
Northwest Seaport Alliance spokeswoman Tara Mattina told me the Maersk and APM Terminals computer systems were affected by the malware, “but they found workarounds in Tacoma and Seattle.”
“APM Terminals in Tacoma handles Matson ships, and they were able to get the necessary info to process the ships from Matson,” she said. “Maersk ships call at Terminal 46 in Seattle. Since Terminal 46 is operated by a different company, they were able to process the ship.”
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Approximately a dozen ships have called or are berthed loading and unloading at the terminals in Seattle and Tacoma in recent days.
Other ports haven’t been as fortunate. The Wall Street Journal reported that on Wednesday some Maersk-run container terminals in the United States, Europe and India weren’t taking ships. Among the closures: terminals in New York/New Jersey and Los Angeles. Maersk said crews are safe and its ships are able to maneuver and communicate.
Next comes how quickly Maersk can get back up, and the effects on the extended supply chain.
Today’s Econ Haiku:
Rent, a musical
Where we’re singing in the rain
Over rising costs