Colonial Pipeline slowly restarts as Southeast U.S. scrambles for fuel
By Joseph Menn and Stephanie Kelly
Reuters
(Reuters) - Colonial Pipeline began to slowly restart the nation s largest fuel pipeline network on Wednesday after a ransomware attack shut the line, triggering fuel shortages and panic buying in the southeastern United States.
It will take several days for the 5,500 mile (8,850 km) pipeline to return to normal operations, Colonial said, even as motorists in southeastern states jammed stations seeking fuel. A return to ample supplies could take two weeks, analysts said.
The cyberattack halted 2.5 million barrels per day of shipments of gasoline, diesel and jet fuel last Friday after the most disruptive cyberattack ever on U.S. energy infrastructure.
Colonial Pipeline Slowly Restarts After Ransomware Attack as Southeast US Scrambles for Fuel
The Colonial Pipeline cyberattack halted 2.5 million barrels per day of shipments of gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel last week. By Reuters | Updated: 13 May 2021 11:58 IST
Colonial said it was working with cybersecurity experts to investigate the attack
Highlights
The supply crunch sparked panic buying in the US Southeast
Nearly 60 percent of gas stations in metro Atlanta were without gasoline
Colonial Pipeline began to slowly restart the nation s largest fuel pipeline network on Wednesday after a ransomware attack shut the line, triggering fuel shortages and panic buying in the southeastern United States.
New report says Colonial did meet $5M ransom demand made by DarkSide ransomware gang
Colonial Pipeline has begun a system restart that will take several days to restore normal operations
Key fuel pipeline was taken offline last week by ransomware attack from Russia-linked hackers
On Thursday morning, half of all gas stations in DC, Florida, Georgia, Virginia and South Carolina were dry
North Carolina was the hardest-hit by the fuel shortage, with 71% of the state s gas stations offline
Station outages spread from New Jersey to Mississippi, and national gas prices rose to $3.028
Across the affected region, more than 10,000 gas stations were out of service
When will gas return? Is it safe to take a road trip? Your questions about gas shortage answered. Gabriela Miranda and Asha C. Gilbert, USA TODAY
People speed to the gas pump after Colonial Pipeline cyber attack
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The shutdown of the Colonial Pipeline is sending thousands to fill up their tanks at gas stations. Gas prices are above $3, and some stations are running out or low on fuel. The Colonial Pipeline stretches from Texas to New Jersey and supplies almost half of the East Coast s fuel.
The pipeline was shut down after a cyberattack, but the fuel company initiated the restart of pipeline operations at 5 p.m. ET on Wednesday. By Thursday morning, the Colonial Pipeline Co. said they made substantial progress and the delivery of gas had begun to the majority of markets they serve.
Colonial Pipeline slowly restarts as south-east US scrambles for fuel
Colonial Pipeline began to slowly restart the nation’s largest fuel pipeline network on Wednesday (May 12) after a ransomware attack shut the line, triggering fuel shortages and panic buying in the south-eastern United States.
It will take several days for the 5,500 mile (8,850km) pipeline to return to normal operations, Colonial said, even as motorists in south-eastern states jammed stations seeking fuel. A return to ample supplies could take two weeks, analysts said.
The cyber-attack halted 2.5 million barrels per day of shipments of gasoline, diesel and jet fuel last Friday after the most disruptive cyber-attack ever on US energy infrastructure.