U.S. Coast Guard and Federal Bureau of Investigation officials boarded a commercial oil tanker heading to Texas last month, acting on intelligence that the vessel’s network may have been compromised by a foreign actor while traversing the Atlantic Ocean, according to the Coast Guard.
The joint operation occurred on August 21, involving specialized Coast Guard law-enforcement personnel, a vessel inspector, Cyber Protection Team members, and FBI Cyber Action Team operators. The team inspected both the ship’s operational technology and information-technology systems, collaborating with the crew and corporate operators to neutralize the threat, the agency stated on Tuesday.
According to the Coast Guard, there have been no reports of operational disruptions, vessel instability, physical danger to the crew, or environmental impacts resulting from the incident.
While U.S. authorities have not publicly attributed the breach to a specific nation, Iranian state media outlets have widely amplified the story in the weeks since the alleged intrusion occurred.
The Coast Guard did not release the name of the vessel, but reports indicate the ship in question is the VL Prosperity, a 333-meter Liberian-flagged very large crude carrier capable of transporting approximately 2.3 million barrels of oil. Public vessel tracking data shows the tanker was bound for Galveston, Texas, at the time of the event.
Unconfirmed reports of the cyberattack first emerged after the ship transited the Strait of Gibraltar, located between Spain and Morocco. On August 20, Iran’s Mehr News Agency reported that the VL Prosperity had been attacked on August 7 while sailing from Egypt’s Sidi Kerir terminal toward the United States. Citing an unnamed crew member, the agency alleged that hackers penetrated engine-room systems, causing the vessel to lose communications for 30 hours. The report claimed attackers reduced engine cooling flow, increased engine speed, and interfered with fuel and lubricating-oil systems.
Four days later, Iran’s Tasnim News Agency published an article headlined “No American Vessel Is Safe Anymore: Will Cannons Give Way to Codes?” Some Iranian reports allege that hackers gained control over propulsion, navigation, and cargo systems.
U.S. officials have confirmed only that there were indications the vessel’s network was compromised, declining to elaborate on the extent of the breach.
Experts note that the risk of penetrating a commercial oil tanker extends beyond data theft or communication failures. Modern tankers utilize interconnected operational technology to manage propulsion, navigation, and cargo systems, many of which are internet-connected. If a hostile state can remotely access or hijack these systems, it could theoretically manipulate a vessel’s movement or critical machinery, potentially turning a massive oil tanker into a weapon against a port.
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