Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority

Summary

A suspected cyber‑attack on the management information system of the container terminal operated by Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority has left the system non‑functional, prompting the diversion of one vessel to other terminals within the port. The outage has halted berthing operations because all required documentation is digital and unavailable, and officials say restoration could take several days with no clear timeline. The affected terminal, which handles about 1.35 million TEUs and has seen its utilisation fall below half of capacity, is one of five terminals at the port and is currently slated for privatisation under the government’s asset‑monetisation programme.

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Description

On Monday, 31 January 2022, the management information system of the Jawaharlal Nehru Container Terminal (JNPCT) operated by the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority suffered a suspected cyber‑attack that rendered the system inoperative. The outage prevented the terminal from processing the digital documentation required to berth vessels, leading officials to divert one container ship to other terminals within the port. Jawaharlal Nehru Port, described as India’s busiest state‑owned container gateway, reported that the information system had been non‑functional since the start of the incident. Shipping industry sources characterised the incident as a major cyber‑attack that had completely disabled the MIS.

An official from the port authority stated that the MIS personnel were working on the restoration and that a decision on diverting additional ships would be made based on their advice, while noting that there was no visibility on how long the restoration would take. Shipping industry sources indicated that the system was completely down and that the port could not predict when it would be operational again, estimating a minimum of three to four days before possible recovery. Because the terminal could not accept vessels alongside while the system remained offline, the diversion of the first ship was implemented immediately. The official added that the port would continue to monitor the situation and act on further guidance from the MIS team.

JNPCT is one of five container terminals operating at Jawaharlal Nehru Port, four of which are privately run, and it has a rated capacity of 1.35 million twenty‑foot equivalent units per year. The terminal has experienced a decline in volumes since fiscal year 2018, attributed to insufficient equipment and the introduction of two newer terminals with modern cranes that offer higher productivity, prompting shipping lines to shift their calls elsewhere. Consequently, capacity utilisation at JNPCT fell from above 100 percent in FY 2017 to below 50 percent in subsequent years. At the time of the incident, the terminal was in the process of being put up for privatisation under the government’s National Monetisation Pipeline.

Sources

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