Colonial expects restored service to all markets by midday

The Colonial Pipeline, which was shut down by a ransomware attack last week, projected Thursday that it would resume deliveries to all markets it serves by midday.

“Colonial Pipeline has made substantial progress in safely restarting our pipeline system and can report that product delivery has commenced in a majority of the markets we service,” Colonial said in a statement Thursday morning. “By mid-day today, we project that each market we service will be receiving product from our system.”

The company included a map of markets in which service is already fully restored. The map indicates the only segments where full service has yet to be restored include Birmingham, Ala., Selma, N.C., parts of Baltimore, and a segment ranging from Greensboro, N.C., to Dorsey, Md.

“This would not have been possible without the commitment and dedication of the many Colonial team members across the pipeline who worked safely and tirelessly through the night to get our lines up and running,” the company said in the announcement. “We are grateful for their dedicated service and professionalism during these extraordinary times.”

The shutdown led to days of panic-buying in affected areas even as the White House urged against hoarding. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas announced late Wednesday that the White House had waived the Jones Act, which would allow foreign tankers to transport fuel in the affected area between the Gulf Coast and East Coast.

“This waiver will help provide for the transport of oil products between the Gulf Coast and East Coast ports to ease oil supply constraints as a result of the interruptions in the operations of the Colonial Pipeline,” Mayorkas said in a statement Wednesday evening. “The Departments of Transportation, Energy, and Defense were consulted in order to assess the justification for the waiver request and ensure the approval of the waiver is in the interest of national defense.”