DP World ports start to reopen after hack, but strike actions stays

afr.com:

Major port operator DP World has gradually restarted operations after shutting down terminals across the country since Friday due to 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.

DP World was forced to shut down its landside operations across the country over the weekend. Oscar Colman

However, the stevedore is still facing disruption from industrial action, including stoppages throughout the week and a 24-hour strike in Sydney on Friday, as unions refuse to call a ceasefire.

DP World manages 40 per cent of 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.

The company said it expects 5000 containers to move out of its Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Fremantle terminals on Monday, although it warned of further disruptions as it seeks to resume full capacity.

“The ongoing investigation and response to protect networks and systems may cause some necessary, temporary disruptions to their services in the coming days,” DP World said in a statement.

“This is a part of an investigation process and resuming normal logistical operations at this scale.”

It stressed that the resumption of port operations “does not mean that this incident has concluded”.

“DP World Australia’s investigation and ongoing remediation work are likely to continue for some time.”

Maritime Union of Australia national assistant secretary Adrian Evans said even with the cyberattack, wharfies would not let up on action to pressure the company to bargain for a new