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Specifically, the report goals to help ports and port facilities make an objective assessment on their readiness to prevent, stop and recover from a cyber-attack.

In other words, the document is designed to create awareness among the C-level management of port authorities of the need to address the issue of cybersecurity and to offer a pragmatic and practical approach to dealing with cyber threat actors.

According to IAPH, ports and port facility stakeholders from around the world are reporting measurable increases in cyber-threat activities, particularly since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. In fact, between February and May of 2020 alone, the maritime industry overall suffered a fourfold increase in cyber-attacks and those attacks against OT systems specifically increased by 900 percent since 2017. The risk of a cyber-attack has become the top risk for port authorities and the wider port community.

• Regardless of the level of digital adoption at a port or port facility may be, the unavoidable handmaiden to digitalization is cyber risk. No port or port facility is immune to it. Given that the majority of cyber-attacks involve people and fragmented system landscapes, every port and por facility is at risk. Moreover, the inequalities of the digital divide and the burdensome role the maritime industry plays at the center of global trade and information exchange underscores the shared nature of cyber risk within the global port and port facility community.
• Effective management of cyber risk is critical to the proper functioning of a diverse maritime community where stakeholders from the port authority, ship operators, port facilities, maritime agencies, customs, and law enforcement are all interconnected. Port and port facility leaders must recognize that cyber threats are not bound by any border, port perimeter, or even logistical supply-chain where every link is critical. Cyber threats can jeopardize an entire port or port facility’s operations and are proliferating at an ever-increasing pace. With the evolution and introduction of new IT and OT technologies, automated systems, and integrated processes that rely on key cloud-service providers, port leaders must recognize the importance of managing cyber risk and understand that it is a responsibility that begins at the top.
• A growing body of evidence underscores the increasing success cyber-attackers have had targeting the maritime industry. For example, between February and May of 2020 the maritime industry in general suffered a fourfold increase in cyber-attacks and those attacks against OT systems specifically increased by 900% over the last three years. Ports and port facility stakeholders from around the world are reporting measurable increases in cyber-threat activities, and the Maritime Transportation System Information Sharing and Analysis Center’s (MTS-ISAC) 2021 Annual Report highlighted some of the most commonly reported attack techniques.

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https://safety4sea.com/cybersecurity-guidelines-for-ports-and-port-facilities-launched/

ATHENS, Aug 28 (Reuters) – A Togo-flagged cargo ship sank on Saturday after hitting Greek islets in the Aegean Sea but all 16 crew were rescued, the Greek coast guard said.

The freighter Sea Bird, which sailed from Ukraine and was bound for Tunisia, sent a distress signal after sailing into rocky islets in the southwestern Aegean Sea, the coast guard said in a statement.

Nearby vessels rescued all 16 Syrian crew, a coast guard official said.

It was not immediately clear what caused the accident.

Three anti-pollution vessels have rushed to the scene to check whether there was any leaking from the freighter, the coast guardadded.

(Reporting by Angeliki Koutantou; Editing by Angus MacSwan)

(c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2021

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Togo-Flagged Cargo Ship Sinks In The Aegean Sea

(Reuters)–Spanish NGO Proactiva Open Arms located a wooden boat on Tuesday (August 31) in the Mediterranean Sea carrying 23 migrants, including 4 children, from Tunisia.

The boat was 21 miles off the coast of the Italian island of Lampedusa when staff on the Open Arms rescue boat “Astral” spotted the vessel.

“This family and the children and all of our friends that are here have left Tunisia because there is no money, no work, no food. Sixty percent have been sick with COVID and above all it is because there is no work, all shops are closed. The situation in Tunisia is very difficult,” said one of the migrants who did not give his name.

Open Arms staff on the “Astral” provided the migrants with life jackets and water before alerting the Italian Coast Guard to come to their rescue.

Unlike its bigger brother, the famous “Open Arms” tug ship, the “Astral” is not big enough to take migrants on board, so it accompanies migrant boats until an Italian Guardia di Finanza vessel arrives to provide assistance.

According to Italian interior ministry data, the number of migrants arriving in the country so far this year has more than doubled compared to last year.

(Production: Juan Medina, Catherine Macdonald)

(c) Copyright Thomson Reuters

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23 Migrants Rescued In Mediterranean Sea

(Bloomberg) —Hurricane Ida is shaking up grain exports in the U.S.’s busiest agricultural port, a problem that could balloon as the nation approaches its peak harvest season in the coming weeks.

Farmers in the Midwest will soon begin reaping corn and soybean crops, and a hefty percentage of it flows down the Mississippi River, where it’s then shipped around the world via the the Gulf of Mexico. The U.S. is the world’s biggest corn supplier. If grain elevators and port terminals are still dealing with outages and damage, that could back up exports.

Officials from some of the biggest trading houses, including Archer-Daniels-Midland Co., Bunge Ltd. and Cargill Inc., are already assessing damages to grain elevators and port terminals after Ida tore through Louisiana and Mississippi over the weekend. Boats and barges broke loose while the Mississippi River briefly flowed in reverse as the hurricane pulled sea water ashore.

Cargill’s port facility in Reserve, Louisiana, sustained significant damage and there’s no timetable for restarting, according to a company spokesperson.

ADM said it would reopen four grain elevators in New Orleans that were shut over the weekend depending on the impact of the storm. Bunge shuttered a grain terminal and soybean crush plant in Destrehan, Louisiana.

Global importers may soon start seeking alternatives, such as shipments off the U.S. Pacific Northwest or out of Brazil and Argentina.

–With assistance from Fabiana Batista and Sergio Chapa.

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Hurricane Ida Threatens U.S. Grain Exports If Disruptions Linger

WASHINGTON –- The White House and the U.S. Department of Transportation announced that John D. Porcari will be the Port Envoy to the Biden-Harris Administration Supply Chain Disruptions Task Force.

Envoy Porcari will work closely with Secretary Buttigieg and the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) as well as the National Economic Council to address congestion at U.S. ports. Disruptions in global shipping and rapid shifts in demand have led the cost of shipping containers between China and the West Coast to grow more than 90% compared to 2019. Containerized cargo volumes rose 40% in the first half of this year compared to the same time last year at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, which together handle the largest share of containerized cargo moving through U.S. ports. Envoy Porcari will work with stakeholder and others at the ports to address the backlog and associated delivery delays and product shortages being experienced by American consumers and businesses.

“The Biden-Harris Administration is using a whole-of-government approach to work with labor and industry leadership to identify, reduce and eliminate maritime supply chain issues,” said Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “Envoy Porcari’s leadership in both the public and private infrastructure sectors make him uniquely qualified to work with stakeholders and federal agencies to address supply chain disruptions.”

Since the launch of the Task Force, Secretary Buttigieg and the Department of Transportation have been engaged in extensive outreach and engagement with port stakeholders including holding a virtual round table in July with representatives of all aspects of the port supply chain.  USDOT leaders have met with the World Shipping Council, the Agriculture Transportation Coalition, representatives and leading companies from the National Retail Federation, Commissioners of the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC), labor unions, and stakeholders throughout our entire supply chain to discuss current challenges in cargo movement and opportunities to improve data sharing. Department of Transportation leaders have also been on the ground visiting ports to discuss supply chain disruption issues in Baltimore, Seattle and New York.

Out of this work, it has become clear that the challenges at our ports—many of which have existed for years—require dedicated focus by experienced, senior leadership to drive toward outcomes that will reduce congestion, improve operations, and set us on a sustainable path for the future. John Porcari is uniquely qualified to take on this role.

“The pandemic has fundamentally disrupted our supply chains which is impacting consumers, workers, and businesses across the country,” said John D. Porcari, Ports Envoy to the Biden-Harris Administration’s Task Force on Supply Chain Disruptions. “I am excited to hit the ground running and get to work immediately with industry, labor, and other port stakeholders to address these challenges and to build a more resilient, future-facing supply chain that powers our economy into the future.”

In addition to the Task Force’s work, USDOT’s Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is also working to address supply chain disruptions at ports. Just yesterday, FRA made nearly $362 million of funding availably through its Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) Grant Program. CRISI funds projects that can help reduce congestion by enhancing multi-modal connections and improving service integration between rail and other modes at port facilities. These grants will help build resilience across the American supply chain, in support of the Biden-Harris Administration’s ongoing Task Force on Short Term Supply Chain Disruptions.

Further, the Biden Administration is working to secure a historic $17 billion in investments in port infrastructure as part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal. The funding would help address congestion and supply chains over time by investing in repair and maintenance backlogs and reduce congestion and emissions near ports.

“The strength of the U.S. economic recovery has tested the near-term capacity of our supply chains, and the Administration is operating on all fronts to ease bottlenecks and facilitate the flow of goods across the country,” said NEC Director Brian Deese. “Our country’s ports are the gateways for getting goods to market, which makes the appointment of John Porcari as Ports Envoy an especially important step forward in alleviating these disruptions that are impacting consumers, workers, and businesses alike.”

The Task Force was established in June to address supply and demand mismatches that emerged in several sectors as the economy reawakened following the Administration’s historic vaccination and economic relief efforts. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg leads the Task Force focus on ports and trucking issues. The Task Force’s leadership also includes Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on food and agriculture and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo on homebuilding and semiconductors.

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U.S. Department of Transportation Appoints Port Envoy to Address Supply Chain Disruptions

Bloomberg) — Shipping costs and lag times are wreaking havoc on profit margins at Dollar Tree Inc., which relies on a steady volume of cheap goods to make money at low prices.

A global rebound in consumer demand for all sorts of goods is putting strain on shipping networks and ports. And new surges in Covid-19 cases have caused some ports to close or slow down entry. Transit times are about 30 days longer than in recent years, Dollar Tree said Thursday, citing freight industry contacts. That’s tough for a company that brings in almost 90,000 40-foot containers a year.

In a recent case, Dollar Tree had a dedicated charter vessel turned back from a port in China because a single crew member tested positive for Covid-19, Chief Executive Officer Mike Witynski said on an earnings call. The voyage was delayed by two months because the ship had to go to Indonesia and replace the entire crew.

“We believe the Dollar Tree banner imports more containers per $100 million in sales than other large retailers, and combined with our low $1 price point, we have an outsized impact from freight costs,” Witynski said. The company’s second-quarter sales missed analysts’ estimates, and its forecast for the current quarter disappointed, sending the shares down as much as 11%.

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EVER ACE, The World’s Largest Containership, Transits The Suez Canal

Bloomberg) — Shipping costs and lag times are wreaking havoc on profit margins at Dollar Tree Inc., which relies on a steady volume of cheap goods to make money at low prices.

A global rebound in consumer demand for all sorts of goods is putting strain on shipping networks and ports. And new surges in Covid-19 cases have caused some ports to close or slow down entry. Transit times are about 30 days longer than in recent years, Dollar Tree said Thursday, citing freight industry contacts. That’s tough for a company that brings in almost 90,000 40-foot containers a year.

In a recent case, Dollar Tree had a dedicated charter vessel turned back from a port in China because a single crew member tested positive for Covid-19, Chief Executive Officer Mike Witynski said on an earnings call. The voyage was delayed by two months because the ship had to go to Indonesia and replace the entire crew.

“We believe the Dollar Tree banner imports more containers per $100 million in sales than other large retailers, and combined with our low $1 price point, we have an outsized impact from freight costs,” Witynski said. The company’s second-quarter sales missed analysts’ estimates, and its forecast for the current quarter disappointed, sending the shares down as much as 11%.

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Dollar Tree Suffers A Freighter Delay of Two Months For A Single Covid Case

Energy firms on Sunday had suspended 1.74 million barrels per day of oil production in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, according to the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE), as Hurricane Ida slammed into the Louisiana coast as a Category 4 storm.

Ida made landfall on Sunday near Port Fourchon, the land base for the Louisiana Offshore Oil Port (LOOP), the largest privately-owned crude terminal in the United States.

Oil companies raced to evacuate employees from offshore infrastructure in the days ahead of the storm, prompting shutdowns at their facilities in the Gulf.

Almost 94% of U.S. Gulf of Mexico natural gas production was also out due to the storm, according to the offshore regulator.

Energy companies had evacuated 288 platforms – more than half of those in the Gulf of Mexico – as of Sunday, and all 11 drilling rigs, according to BSEE.

(Reporting by Liz Hampton in Denver Editing by Bill Berkrot)

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https://www.marinelink.com/news/hurricane-ida-shuts-us-gulf-mexico-crude-490211

Hurricane Ida made landfall in Louisiana on Sunday as an extremely dangerous Category 4 storm, forcing those who did not flee to brace themselves for the toughest test yet of the billions of dollars spent on levee upgrades following Hurricane Katrina 16 years ago.

Ida came ashore near Port Fourchon, Louisiana, at 11:55 a.m. CDT (16:55 GMT), the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said. Hurricane-strength winds extended 50 miles (80 km) out from Ida’s eye, forcing New Orleans to suspend emergency medical services as the storm crawled northwest at 13 miles per hour (21 km per hour).

Hundreds of miles of new levees were built around New Orleans after the devastation of Katrina, which made landfall 16 years ago to the day, inundating historically Black neighborhoods and killing more than 1,800 people.

“This is one of the strongest storms to make landfall here in modern times,” Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards said at a news briefing.

The state “has never been more prepared,” he said, predicting that no levees in the Hurricane & Storm Damage Risk Reduction System protecting the greater New Orleans area would be overtopped.

“Will it be tested? Yes. But it was built for this moment,” he said. Edwards said some levees in the state’s southeast not built by the federal government were predicted to overtop.

More than 300,000 Louisiana homes and businesses had already lost electricity, mostly in the state’s southeast, according to the tracking site PowerOutage.

“As soon the storm passes, we’re going to put the country’s full might behind the rescue and recovery,” President Joe Biden said after a briefing at the headquarters of the Federal Emergency Management Agency in Washington.

Just three days after emerging as a tropical storm in the Caribbean Sea, Ida had swelled into a Category 4 hurricane on the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale with top sustained winds of 150 miles per hour (240 km per hour), the NHC said.

Palm trees trembled as rain blasted in sideways through New Orleans on Sunday, where retired 68-year-old Robert Ruffin had evacuated with his family to a downtown hotel from their home in the city’s east.

“I thought it was safer,” he said. “It’s double trouble this time because of COVID.”

Hours later, howling winds sucked out windows on the hotel’s third floor, and blue curtains were seen fluttering outside.

In the capital of Baton Rouge, Marvin Broome said he had no choice but to stay home because his wife is the mayor, Sharon Weston Broome. The 73-year-old English teacher said in a phone interview he was stashing family valuables and important papers in a safe part of their home while Mayor Broome dealt with the city of 224,000.

Predicted storm surges were already happening, exceeding 6 feet (1.83 m) in some parts of the coast. Parts of Highway 90 that runs along the Louisiana and Mississippi Gulf Coast had become a choppy river, according to videos posted on social media.

The NHC also warned of potentially catastrophic wind damage and up to two feet (61 cm) of rainfall in some areas.

Residents who have no interior rooms in their home were told to move to a closet or bathroom for protection, with the governor warning it could take 72 hours for emergency responders to arrive. Some parishes imposed curfews beginning Sunday evening, forbidding people from going outside.

“We’re as prepared as we can be, but we’re worried about those levees,” said Kirk Lepine, president of Plaquemines Parish on the state’s Gulf Coast.

Plaquemines, one of the most vulnerable parishes, is home to 23,000 people along the Mississippi delta. Lepine feared water topping levees along Highway 23.

“That’s our one road in and out,” he said.

‘EVERYONE WHO CARES ABOUT NEW ORLEANS IS WORRIED’

Officials had ordered widespread evacuations of low-lying and coastal areas, jamming highways and leading some gasoline stations to run dry as residents and vacationers fled, although Edwards said it was impossible to evacuate patients from hospitals.

Louisiana hospitals were treating some 2,450 COVID-19 patients after a surge in infections, Edwards said, with many in some of the state’s parishes already nearing capacity.

“Everyone who cares about New Orleans is worried,” said Andy Horowitz, a history professor who wrote “Katrina: A History, 1915-2015.” Horowitz fled to Alabama with his family from their home near New Orleans’ French Quarter.

Some $14 billion was spent strengthening levees after Katrina, but that may still be insufficient in the face of climate change, he said. Climate change has led to more intense and wetter hurricanes in the region.

Biden earlier said 500 federal emergency response workers were in Texas and Louisiana to respond to the storm.

Port Fourchon is home to the Louisiana Offshore Oil Port, the country’s largest privately owned crude oil terminal.

The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) said 288 oil and gas platforms and 11 rigs in the U.S. Gulf were evacuated, while the volume of suspended oil production there rose to 96%. Almost 94% of Gulf of Mexico natural gas production was also out.

Phillips 66 shut its Alliance plant on the coast in Belle Chasse, while Exxon Mobil Corp cut production at its Baton Rouge, Louisiana, refinery on Saturday.

(Reporting by Devika Krishna Kumar in New Orleans, Jessica Resnick-Ault and Jonathan Allen in New York, Erwin Seba in Houston, Rich McKay in Atlanta, Linda So and Trevor Hunnicutt in Washington, Liz Hampton in Denver, and Arpan Varghese in Bengaluru; Writing by Jessica Resnick-Ault and Jonathan Allen; Editing by Caroline Stauffer, Leslie Adler, Frances Kerry and Bill Berkrot)

Widespread flooding from Hurricane Ida and power outages slowed efforts on Tuesday by energy firms to assess damages at oil production facilities, ports, and refineries.

Nearly all of Louisiana lost electrical power on Monday after one of the most powerful hurricanes to hit the region downed transmission lines and flooded communities. Coastal areas were swamped by a storm surge so great it reversed the flow of the Mississippi River.

Analysts said it could take two to three weeks to restart producing platforms and fully resume output at Louisiana refineries. Restoring power, critical to refineries, also could take weeks, utility officials said.

“This restoration is not going to be a likely quick turnaround,” said Rod West, head of utility operations at Entergy Corp. “This was a significant catastrophic wind event, whereas Katrina was a water event by comparison.”

Disruptions at oil infrastructure are testing the country’s fuel distribution systems. Operators shut offshore oil and gas pipelines that feed processing plants, and the largest line that connects with the fuel-thirsty East Coast was shut for days.

Phillips 66 has not been able to begin damage assessments at its 255,600-barrel-per-day refinery on the Mississippi River in Belle Chasse, Louisiana, a spokesman said. The plant, which was put up for sale last week, was swamped from a failed levee in Alliance.

“That is the most water I have ever seen in my 31 years come through to Alliance,” Plaquemines Parish Sheriff Gerald Turlich said on Monday.

Floods have also been reported at other facilities in Louisiana. Nine refineries have reduced production or shut-in operations, including Exxon’s 520,000-bpd Baton Rouge, taking offline 2.3 million bpd of capacity or 13% of the country’s total, the U.S. Department of Energy estimated.

Offshore, 95% of the Gulf’s oil production and 94% of its gas output remained shut on Monday, the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement said. A total of 288 production platforms and 11 rigs remained evacuated.

Uncertainty on infrastructure restart timelines pushed up oil prices on Monday, while U.S. gasoline went up more than 1.5%, lending support to crude prices.

• Review of Impact of Hurricane Ida on Titan Platform to Take Days, Equinor Says

Trying to avoid over-costs of getting imported gasoline or domestic fuel shipped in tankers, some consumers are relying on the country’s key pipelines to fully restart soon, especially since many ports have not reopened, traders said.

Colonial Pipeline, the largest U.S. fuel pipeline, was working to return its main gasoline and diesel lines to service late Monday.

Pipeline operator Enbridge temporarily suspended some contacts under force majeure, while Energy Transfer informed shippers that its Stingray Pipeline, which brings gas from the U.S. Gulf to Louisiana, would not accept deliveries.

Nearly a dozen ports from New Orleans to Pascagoula, Mississippi, remained closed on Monday, including Louisiana Offshore Oil Port (LOOP), the largest U.S. privately owned crude export and import terminal.

“With widespread refinery outages and debris on waterways, we expect no imports into the impacted ports in the coming days,” analysis firm ClipperData said in a note to clients forecasting waterborne flows.

(Reporting by Erwin Seba, Stephanie Kelly, and Liz Hampton; Writing by Marianna Parraga in Houston; Editing by Stephen Coates)

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https://www.marinelink.com/news/floods-outages-slow-oil-companies-efforts-490259