US East Coast fuel shortages in sight with pipeline restart

The 8,850-kilometer pipeline was shut down by Colonial Pipeline last weekend as a precaution after the Russian pirate invasion. Hackers used ransomware and wanted to see ransom to free systems. It is not known how much they are asking, but Colonial says she has no plans to pay.

Gasoline above $ 3

The hack has already been called the biggest attempt to hack energy infrastructure in the United States. The Texas-New York pipe accounts for half of the gasoline, diesel and kerosene supplies in the interstate states. On a typical day, the pipeline transports the equivalent of three million barrels of oil per day from the Gulf of Mexico.

The blackout caused huge fuel shortages. Many gas stations in North Carolina, Georgia and Virginia are already running out of fuel, resulting in long lines at places where fuel is still sold. At the same time, gasoline prices are skyrocketing by US standards. A gallon (3.8 liters) must now pay more than $ 3.

Additional stopover

Aviation is also affected. Colonial Pipeline also serves seven airports, including Atlanta, the second busiest airport in the world. Several airlines have to make additional stopovers from Atlanta on their long-haul flights to refuel because they cannot bring enough kerosene with them.

The FBI confirmed on Monday that the Russian cyber gang DarkSide was behind the hack. The hackers made their voices heard a day later. According to them, the intention had never been to disrupt society, they were only looking for money. They added a promise to select their targets more carefully from now on.

Jones Act Suspension

In the meantime, the US government is also taking action to address the growing fuel shortage. In addition to calling for no hoarding, the Department of Homeland Security has temporarily suspended a more than 100-year-old merchant fleet law to secure supplies from the Gulf after Mexico.

Named after US Senator Wesley Jones, this Jones Act prohibits companies from using ships that are not built in the United States and that are not manned by US between US ports. The exception applies to a sole proprietorship. We do not know which company it is.