A cyber attack has affected container operations at the South African port of Cape Town.
According to Reuters, Durban, the busiest shipping terminal in sub-Saharan Africa, was affected, with the Cape Town Harbour Carriers Association telling Reuters that the port operating systems have been cyber-attacked and there will be no movement of cargo until the system is restored.”
In addition, Transnet’s official website was down on July 22, showing an error message. The company also confirmed that its IT applications were experiencing disruptions and it was identifying the cause. However, it did not state whether a cyber attack caused the disruption.
Recently, Transnet suffered major disruptions to its ports and national freight rail line, after days of unrest and violence in parts of the country.
When questioned whether the cyber attack was linked to the unrest, a government official said that they are currently treating it as an unrelated event.
The latest disruption has delayed containers and auto parts, and has created backlogs that could take time to clear.
What is more, Transnet said its container terminals were disrupted while its freight rail, pipeline, engineering and property divisions reported normal activity.
