Los Angeles-area ports suffer ‘minimal disruptions’ after global tech outage

Global disruptions caused by a faulty software update have had a substantial local effect in Southern California, specifically at Los Angeles International Airport, but officials say local ports have gotten away with just “minimal disruptions.”

In a statement provided to KTLA, Port of Long Beach CEO Mario Cordero said four terminal computers suffered issues related to the outage overnight but they’ve since been resolved.

“Port of Long Beach marine terminals are open and operating as this global technology outage unfolds, with cargo operations commencing normally this morning,” the statement reads in part. “Data exchange is an important part of 21st century goods movement. Although today’s incident appears to be related to a Windows update, the Port monitors activity in the harbor 24 hours a day and approaches these issues through a proactive, multilayered approach that aligns with industry standards and regulations, allowing continual assessment and improvement.”

There was immense traffic backed up at the port earlier on Friday morning, but a local police officer told KTLA’s Gene Kang that stopped traffic was common in that particular area.

In a post to X, formerly Twitter, the Port of Los Angeles said it was fully operational as of 9:15 a.m. and all terminals were clear. It wasn’t immediately clear if the port suffered massive disruptions previously.

As of Friday morning it appeared that the issue was related to a botched software update affecting Microsoft 365 apps and services, according to the Associated Press. Executives said teams were working on a permanent fix.