JOIN US Operations at the Jawaharlal Nehru port at Nhava Sheva in Raigad district across the Mumbai harbour — one of the biggest container ports in the country — were hit since Tuesday night as a fallout of the global cyberattack.
The Ministry of Shipping and the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) are monitoring the situation and taking counter measures.
Dr Gulshan Rai, National Cyber Security Coordinator, and other top officials from the CERT-In, country's nodal cyber security agency, have been rushed to Mumbai to work with the port and state government officials, to address the issue. JNPT Chairman Anil Diggikar briefed the Ministry of Shipping on the measures taken so far.
The virus — GoldenEye (a variant of the Petya ransomware) - hit Danish shipping and energy company Maersk, in turn affecting its global operations. According to reports, private port operator APM Terminals Pipavav's operations have been partially hit.
AP Moller-Maersk operates the Gateway Terminals India (GTI) at JNPT, which has a capacity to handle 1.8 million standard container units in a year.
"We have been informed that the operations at GTI have come to a standstill because their systems are down. They are trying to work manually," a senior JNPT official said.
Traffic congestion
While the operator is taking steps to address the disruption, it is anticipated that there could be bunching of in-bound and out-bound container cargo.
“Ministry of Shipping and JNPT are alive to the situation and are taking steps to ensure minimum disturbance to trade, transporters and more importantly local citizens. Since the congestion could create difficulties in traffic management, JNPT has opened up its parking lots for cargo destined to this private terminal. CFSs (Container Freight Stations) have been advised to hold the cargo in their yards,” a statement by Ministry of Shipping said.
JNPT is also working with local authority CIDCO, to identify more parking areas. Traffic control teams are being deployed to address potential road congestion.
Some of the biggest corporations, including Russia's largest oil company Rosneft, Ukraine's international airport and advertising giant WPP have been affected by the attack, which comes close on the heels of the 'WannaCry' ransomware attack a few weeks earlier.
The Indian government has already issued advisories to all critical sectors, including power, to stay vigilant against any possible threats.
Users scramble; focus on defences
Thousands of computer users across the globe scrambled to reboot on Wednesday as calls grew to step up defences after a fresh wave of ransomware cyberattacks spread from Ukraine and Russia worldwide, AFP reports from Kiev.
The virus, which demanded a payment worth $300 as it locked up files at companies and government agencies, including the Chernobyl nuclear site, was reminiscent of the WannaCry ransomware that swept the world last month, hitting more than 2,00,000 users in more than 150 countries. Report on Page 14