CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - The South Carolina Ports Authority said the gates have opened and operations are online more than a day after software problems halted operations.
Officials said the operating systems were running at 11 a.m. Tuesday and ships were being unloaded. Cargo pick-up and drop-offs are now accepted at all marine terminals and Inland Port Greer, Ports spokesperson Laura Clifton said.
The ports will extend gates until 7 p.m. at the Wando and North Charleston terminals to help support motor carriers and cargo owners, she said.
But she denied any evidence of a cyber incident being involved in the trouble.
“Our security operations center detected no cyber issue around the time the event occurred and our system vendor has confirmed a technical issue occurred with the system,” she said.
At 7:30 a.m. Tuesday the Ports Authority was having issues bringing the gate systems back online.
“As SC Ports continues to bring systems back online, we are working through some issues bringing our gate systems back up,” the website states. “While we work through this, no cargo pick up or drop off will occur during this time.”
Originally, officials had hoped to reopen the ports by 8 a.m. Tuesday after a software issue forced the ports to remain closed Monday.
It’s the latest in a series of delays that began Sunday night.
“SC Ports is working diligently to reintroduce systems following a vendor software issue that impacted a server,” its website states. “Work is progressing, and we are reintroducing systems as they become available.”
Monday night they said they planned to extend gate hours to handle the flow of cargo. Those times have not yet been shared.
Port officials said on Sunday a software issue was affecting a server but it did not appear to be a cybersecurity issue. Earlier over the weekend, they said they hoped the ports would reopen by midday Monday. In a 1:30 p.m. update, port officials said no cargo pick-up or drop-off would occur.
The SCDOT advised that traffic delays in and around the area are possible, especially during peak travel periods. Those who travel on Interstate 526 should plan ahead or seek alternate routes for their morning commutes.
“We are focused on resuming operations expeditiously and delivering excellent port service to our ocean carrier and cargo owner customers,” its website states. “We appreciate the support of our maritime partners and the broader community.”
For more information, click here.
Copyright 2024 WCSC. All rights reserved.