US Coast Guard personnel and FBI agents boarded two Texas-bound energy tankers in August 2026 after cyberattacks struck the vessels while they were under way, according to US officials. One was the 1,093-foot Liberian-flagged VL Prosperity, which was carrying about 2.3 million barrels of oil from Egypt to Galveston. The vessel reportedly suffered an attack on 7 August near the Strait of Gibraltar and slowed around the time of the incident.
Iranian state media claimed attackers accessed propulsion, navigation and cargo systems, disrupting communications for about 30 hours and interfering with cooling, engine speed and fuel systems. Those claims have not been independently verified.
The US Coast Guard has not attributed either incident to Iran and is still determining whether the attacks were connected. Rear Adm. Amy Grable said investigators found evidence of malicious cyber activity after examining the ships’ IT and onboard systems, but response teams found no indication that the VL Prosperity was unsafe to navigate when they boarded it. Investigators searched for malware and examined whether IT networks were linked to propulsion, navigation and other safety-critical systems.
The incidents highlight the risks created by increasingly connected ships. Network access could potentially disrupt navigation, propulsion, steering or ballast systems, creating hazards including collisions, blocked waterways and pollution, although experts said fully taking over a supertanker remotely would be unlikely. Recommended measures include stronger network segmentation, phishing protection and basic cyber hygiene. Attribution may take weeks or months as investigators compare attackers’ tactics, techniques and procedures with known threat groups.