Credit: MMC Corporation
Malaysia’s Tanjung Pelepas Port (PTP) paused terminal operations for several hours after it was hacked shortly before midnight on Wednesday.
A spokesperson for AP Møller Maersk, which operates PTP in a joint-venture with Malaysian conglomerate MMC, confirmed the incident to The Loadstar, describing it as a “cybersecurity incident”.
The spokesperson added: “PTP has confirmed that the affected systems have been restored and operations are progressively resuming.
“Maersk remains in close coordination with PTP and is actively managing any operational impacts. While some vessels may experience delays, recovery efforts are progressing well. Our priority is to minimise disruption to customers and support the continued normalisation of operations and supply chains.”
He continued: “We will continue to update our stakeholders with relevant information.”
While PTP did not respond to The Loadstar’s enquiry at press time, we had sight of an advisory from the terminal operator to shippers, in which it said it was “working with cybersecurity experts to investigate the incident and implement additional security measures”.
The advisory added that there was no evidence of unauthorised access to PTP’s customers’ data.
In an interview with The Loadstar in February, Amar More, CEO of Kale Logistics Solutions, said ports were regular targets for hackers because they were a conduit for global trade – indeed he called them a “hackers’ paradise”, because they concentrate trade, data, and critical infrastructure.
In June 2017, 17 of APMT’s terminals, including Rotterdam and New York, were hit by Notpetya ransomware, resulting in online booking tools being disabled, phone lines unanswered, and cargo handling suspended at several ports. Thousands of computers and servers had to be restored over the following weeks.
In July 2021, South African port operator Transnet also fell victim to a ransomware attack, causing it to shut operations in several box terminals, including Durban.
In February 2022, India’s Jawaharlal Nehru Port Container Terminal was hacked, causing a five-day shutdown and in July 2023, Russia-based ransomware group Lockbit 3.0 attacked Nagoya Port in Japan, resulting in a two-day outage.
