DP World Gradually Restarts Operations
Major port operator DP World has gradually restarted operations after shutting down terminals across the country since Friday after detecting a hack on its systems.
The stevedore reopened gates to its east coast landside operations early on Monday morning and is allowing trucks to start clearing some 30,000 containers that have been left stranded in its yards by the shutdown.
However, the stevedore is still facing disruption from industrial action, including stoppages on Monday and throughout the week and a 24-hour strike in Sydney on Friday, with unions so far refusing to call a ceasefire.
DP World manages 40 per cent off goods coming in and out of the country and had already been facing shipping delays of more than a week before the cyberattack due to a month of industrial action.
Transport and freight operators reported slow progress on Monday morning with DP World’s terminals in Melbourne and Sydney only allowing truckies to collect imports to clean up some of the congestion built up over the week
The company’s Brisbane terminal was going the best, reporting that it had successfully tested its system overnight and both exports and imports are being transported in and out.
Freight Trade Alliance chief executive Paul Zalai welcomed the reopening but said some truckies will struggle to reschedule due to DP World’s lack of advanced notice.
“It is encouraging as it was looking pretty anxious over the weekend,” he said.
“Transport operators are rescheduling now and hopefully their [DP World’s] systems are robust enough to manage this.”
The shutdown on Friday prevented some 30,000 containers of goods from moving in or out of its terminals, including refrigerated containers that can hold anything from lobsters and wagyu beef to blood plasma.
While ships could still offload and pick up containers, the technology systems that allow trucks to share data with the stevedore were turned off, meaning trucks could not get into DP World’s terminals to collect or drop off containers.
Containers piled up on docks over the weekend, using up about 90 per cent of the stevedore’s storage space.
DP World had been testing system alternatives over the weekend warned they would not operate at the same scale.
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