One year ago, Congress defunded public media. Now that we're 100% community funded, please become a sustaining member or increase your existing membership today.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
Operations At L.A. Port's Largest Terminal Shut Down By Cyber Attack
(Photo byBruce Johnson via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr)
A cyber ransom attack on global shipping company Maersk (which handles about one of every seven cargo containers shipped around the world) has closed port terminals in several countries, including one right here in Los Angeles. According to CBS LA, APM Terminals (the terminals operating unit of A.P. Moller-Maersk) stopped their operations at the Port of Los Angeles on Tuesday morning, and has not reopened as of Wednesday morning.
"We can confirm that Maersk has been hit as part of a global cyber attack named Petya on the 27 June 2017. IT systems are down across multiple sites and select business units," a press release from Maersk states. "...We have shut down a number of systems to help contain the issue. ...APM Terminals is impacted in a number of ports. ...We continue to assess and manage the situation to minimize the impact on our operations, customers and partners from the current situation."
Maersk's Los Angeles operations are located at Pier 400 in the Port of Los Angeles, and is the port's largest operator by cargo volume
“There were no ships at berth at the terminal, and none are scheduled on Tuesday or Wednesday,” Phillip Sanfield, a spokesperson for the Port of Los Angeles, said, notes the Long Beach Press Telegram. “Trucking companies and others have been notified not to come to the terminal.”
“When a terminal doesn’t have a ship it still does some landside operations,” Sanfield continued to CBS on Wednesday. “It prepares for the next ship and there’s a lot of cargo moving around the docks on the landside, and from what I understand they stopped those operations today due to the issue. They haven’t given us any ETA on when they are due back up.”
Morten Imsgaard, an analyst with Sydbank, told Reuters that Maersk's operations may not recover "for many days," and that the cyberattack "could have a large economic impact for the company, although it depends on how soon it will be able to get its systems running again."
“I am sure this will be the topic of a lot of discussion in the maritime industry in the weeks and months to come,” Sanfield concluded to the Press Telegram.
Sponsored message
LAist contacted the Port of Los Angeles and APM Terminals for comment, but we have not heard back by publication.
One year ago, Congress voted to defund public media, eliminating a critical $1.7 million from our budget every year going forward. But they couldn’t silence us, and we’re not going anywhere. LAist is now 100% community funded and that means we’re taking our future into our own hands and turning to you to keep local reporting strong.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
