DANISH carrier Maersk has been hit by a major cyber attack that is affecting companies around the world.

The attack, which was first noted in Ukraine, has hit a number of companies there, including Rosneft, but has also reportedly affected global advertising giant WPP, which is based in the UK.

“We can confirm that Maersk IT systems are down across multiple sites and business units due to a cyber attack,” Maersk posted on its Twitter account.

“We are currently assessing the situation.”

Maersk's terminals division, APM Terminals, has been forced to halt operations at its fully automated Maasvlakte II terminal in Rotterdam, which it blamed on the cyber attack.

Maersk said it would continue to update on Twitter.

Maersk has been at the forefront of shipping’s push towards digitalisation. It takes 98% of its bookings over digital channels and has been a strong proponent of new technologies such as Blockchain.

Any IT failure will come as a severe blow to the company and to APM Terminals, which has invested heavily in automated technologies, particularly at Maasvlakte II, and will call into question the safety and security of online and automated services.

“The safety of our employees, our operations and our customers’ business is our top priority,” Maersk said.