“Please note that the port operating systems have been cyber-attacked and there will be no movement of cargo until the system is restored,” Cape Town Harbour Carriers Association said in an email to members, declining to comment on whether a cyber attack caused the disruption.
Most of the copper and cobalt, metals critical to the green energy transition, are mined in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Zambia, where miners such as Glencore and Barrick Gold operate. In a media statement Friday, Barrick confirmed it does not use the port of Durban to export gold.
The latest disruption has delayed containers and auto parts, but commodities will mostly be unaffected as they were in a different part of the port, one of the sources told Reuters.
It will also create backlogs that could take time to clear. Transnet said its container terminals were disrupted while its freight rail, pipeline, engineering and property divisions reported normal activity.
(With files from Reuters)
