Transnet to lift force majeure from Monday after suffering a cyber attack

Transnet SOC Ltd (Transnet) is set to uplift the force majeure from Monday 2 August 2021. The force majeure was declared by the Port Terminals operating division at the container terminals in the Ports of Cape Town, Durban, Ngqura and Port Elizabeth.

Force majeure is a common clause in contracts that essentially frees both parties from liability or obligation when an extraordinary event or circumstance beyond the control of the parties prevents one or both parties from fulfilling their obligations under the contract. 

TRANSNET TO START OPERATING AGAIN

On Wednesday evening, 28 July, the Department of Public Enterprises, announced that Transnet restored full operations at all its ports.

Pravin Gordhan’s ministry also said the preliminary assessment of the cyber attack indicated that none of Transnet or its customer data was compromised during the attack and that the company is working on strengthening the weaknesses identified in its IT systems.

In a statement, Transnet said it believes it is now in a position to service its customers and meet all contractual obligations.

“The upliftment of the force majeure took effect from Thursday 22 July, after Transnet experienced a cyber attack, necessitating that operations be conducted manually.

“In terms of operations, Port Terminals will continue to apply the berthing principles of the container operations contract in the container terminals. This is currently the most practical way of normalising operations and maintaining a complimentary port schedule for shipping lines.”

Transnet

Ransomware commonly used by hacker groups from Eastern Europe or Russia may be responsible for the cyber attack on state-owned South African logistics company, Transnet. The attack, which breached the company’s IT security on 22 July, nearly brought operations at the country’s ports to a complete halt.

A Bloomberg report said the company was targeted with a strain of ransomware known by many names such as “Death Kitty”, “HelloKitty” and “Five Hands.” The strain of ransomware has been linked to several noteworthy data breaches that were carried out by hacker groups from Eastern Europe or Russia, according to cybersecurity experts.

READ: ‘Death Kitty’: The ransomware that may be linked to the Transnet hack