【Ferro-alloys.com】Transnet cyber attack confirmed: Port terminals division declares force majeure

In an unprecedented move, Transnet Port Terminals (TPT) declared force majeure on Monday following the ongoing fallout from a cyber attack last week which hit the entire Transnet Group, South Africa’s state-run ports operator and freight rail monopoly.

While the group has tried to play down the hacking – initially describing it as a “disruption on its IT network” – TPT’s confidential force majeure letter to customers on Monday confirmed that it is “an act of cyber-attack, security intrusion and sabotage”.

Moneyweb has a copy of the force majeure notice and its veracity has been confirmed by several Transnet and logistics industry sources.

The letter is titled ‘Declaration of force majeure for Transnet Port Terminals container terminals in the Ports of Durban, Ngqura, Port Elizabeth and Cape Town – confidential notice to customers’. It was sent out by TPT chief executive Velile Dube.

This confirms a major blow for Transnet Group, with TPT being one of its biggest and most important divisions.TPT operates the container handing facilities at Durban – sub-Saharan Africa’s busiest container port – as well as container terminals in Cape Town and the Eastern Cape ports of Ngqura and Port Elizabeth.

On Monday, the websites of Transnet and its divisions were still offline – for the sixth day.The group had resorted to a manual system in an effort to continue to operate key divisions, such as TPT. However, with further trucking delays, especially at the Port of Durban (which handles over 60% of South Africa’s container traffic), TPT seems to have had no option but to institute “force majeure” on Monday.

“This serves as notice of declaration of Force Majeure event, which occurred on 22nd July 2021 and continues to persist, when Transnet, including TPT, experienced an act of cyber-attack, security intrusion and sabotage,” the letter states.

• [Editor:zhaozihao]