A computer virus detected in the South African Maritime Safety Authority’s (Samsa) computer system will delay the issuance of seafarers’ certificates by up to six weeks, the country’s maritime agency has announced.
Its ICT department is conducting a full health assessment of all servers operating software and hardware.
“At this point, no personal data has been compromised, and Samsa is continuing to investigate the incident in collaboration with law enforcement agencies,” a spokesman said.
Some of the agency’s services – like vessel surveys - have not been affected.
But it won’t be all systems go once the system is up and running. “Seafarers should expect delays in the issuing of any seafarer verifications, documentation and certificates of competence while the system is being repaired. Once it is fully operational, seafarers (will) continue to experience delays with all certification-related services for approximately four to six weeks while Samsa implements extraordinary measures to clear the backlog and implement measures to improve services,” the spokesman said.
