From the Tribune staff reports
ALPHARETTA, GA. — Colonial Pipeline announced minutes ago that they had initiated the restart of pipeline operations today at approximately 5 p.m. ET. following a cyber attack earlier this week.
“Following this restart, it will take several days for the product delivery supply chain to return to normal,” the company said in a statement released Wednesday. “Some markets served by Colonial Pipeline may experience, or continue to experience, intermittent service interruptions during the start-up period. Colonial will move as much gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel as is safely possible and will continue to do so until markets return to normal.”
The attack spurred a panic in some states that increased demand and left many service stations in the South and East Coast without gasoline, despite pleas from governors not to hoard fuel.
“This is the first step in the restart process and would not have been possible without the around-the-clock support of Colonial Pipeline’s dedicated employees who have worked tirelessly to help us achieve this milestone,” the company stated.
Colonial will conduct a series of safety assessments as the pipeline ramps back up.
