Neighboring Terminals Handle APMT Cargo After Cyberattack

The Indian Ministry of Shipping says that it is helping Maersk to handle cargo backed up by the crippling IT problems at Gateway Terminals India (GTI), run by APM Terminals. GTI, one of four container terminals at Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust, is also the largest single container terminal in India. GTI normally handles 5,000 containers a day, but it has reportedly been brought to a standstill.

Maersk Group is still recovering from the effects of the "Petya" cyberattack, a ransomeware program that spread rapidly through corporate networks worldwide, hijacking Windows computers and encrypting their hard drives. On Thursday, Maersk reported that its APM Terminals unit is still working to bring its systems back online, two days after it was forced to shut them down to prevent the spread of the attack. "Impacted terminals have implemented business continuity plans and operations teams are carefully implementing IT solutions that will restore full operations," the firm said in an update. 

To deal with the delays at GTI, port officials have set aside extra parking for backed-up container cargo and extra berths for GTI-bound vessels, in cooperation with competing terminal operator DP World. The port has diverted containers from two ships at GTI through its own Jawaharlal Nehru Port Container Terminal, and DP World's Nhava Sheva International Container Terminal is reportedly handling 5,000 more GTI containers. Anil Diggikar, JNPT's chairman, told The Hindu Business Line that these cargoes are all being processed manually.  

In a statement, India's Ministry of Shipping emphasized that government IT systems are well protected, and that the other terminals at JNPT were operating as usual. “The authorities of JNPT as well as Customs and Excise have taken all necessary steps to enhance the resilience and security of their IT infrastructure with respect to cyber security,” the ministry said in a statement.