Colonial Pipeline restarts operations, but says supply chain issues may continue for 'several days'

• Colonial Pipeline said it resumed operations Wednesday around 5 p.m. ET.
• The pipeline, which supplies 45% of the East Coast's fuel, was knocked offline by a crippling cyberattack.
• More than 1,000 gas stations ran dry and prices surged past $3 per gallon as a result.

Colonial Pipeline said in a press release on Wednesday it had "initiated the restart of pipeline operations" at approximately 5 p.m. ET.

"Following this restart, it will take several days for the product delivery supply chain to return to normal. Some markets served by Colonial Pipeline may experience, or continue to experience, intermittent service interruptions during the start-up period," the company said.

"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," it said, adding that it's conducting various safety assessments as it resumes operations.

The announcement follows widespread gas shortages across the eastern US that resulted from the pipeline being taken offline by a crippling ransomware attack.

The 5,500-mile network supplies around 45% of the East Coast's fuel, and more than 1,000 gas stations ran dry following the attack, creating long lines and sending prices soaring past $3 per gallon for the first time since 2014.

The Biden administration has been working with Colonial to get operations restarted. The Russia-based hacking group DarkSide acknowledged it launched the attack, saying it didn't intend to cause "problems for society," and would approach targets differently in the future.