Global IT outage disrupts shipping, ports

As part of a global IT outage caused by an update for Windows hosts, shipowners and operators have seen computing systems of various vessels fall victim, with business networks that include emails and other communication tools among the operational platforms affected.

"We have detected issues within the business network of various vessels’ computing systems. Fortunately, the critical operational network and the crew network, which is used for personal communication among seafarers, have remained unaffected," Greece’s Metrostar Management Corp chief information officer and vice president of the Association of Maritime Managers in Information Technology and Communications, Matthew Maheras told Riviera.

At the heart of the outage, Austin,Texas, US-based cyber-security firm CrowdStrike reported that an update for one of its products, a so-called endpoint protection system designed to counter malware and cyber attacks, contained a "defect”. The flaw in Crowdstrike’s product led to flight cancellations, turbulence in transport networks, and significant problems for media companies and banks.

Mr Maheras noted that the result of the Crowdstrike defect for many users, including in the maritime world, was seeing a ‘blue screen’ on their PCs, a common bug known as the ‘blue screen of death,’ indicating a system error.

"Naturally, initially everyone was in panic until the situation became clearer," he added. Most of the issues have now been manually resolved, Mr Maheras said. “This situation serves as a reminder of the precautionary measures we must implement to safeguard our vessels and, consequently, global trade,” he added.

According to his rough estimates, about 20% of shipping companies in Greece may use the CrowdStrike product.

Another shipping executive, who requested anonymity, characterised the CrowdStrike crisis as “a major global failure”, highlighting issues even with basic Windows PCs.

Disrupted port operations

The Crowdstrike IT failure has also impacted port operations across Europe. Rotterdam, the continent’s largest port in terms of container throughput, reported “several companies, including a container terminal, are affected by the outage and have adjusted their processes.”

Nevertheless, the port authority noted, “The vital process for handling shipping, the Harbour Master division and nautical service providers are not impacted”, highlighting, “all crucial processes in the port are continuing.”

In Britain, too, reports of operational failures have emerged.

Contacted by Riviera, British Ports Association director of policy and external affairs, Mark Simmonds noted, “UK ports are operating largely as normal,” though there have been a small number of system outages in some ports. He added these problems “are either being worked around or have been resolved.”

“There is no disruption to cargo operations or shipping movements that we know of,” Mr Simmonds concluded.

The Baltic Hub, Poland’s largest container terminal, located in Gdansk, seems to be the most severely affected in the region, reporting the outage has hampered terminal operations and asking companies to avoid sending containers to the port.