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FBI and Coast Guard Board Hacked Oil Tankers Bound for US
Confirmed
In Short: Federal agencies boarded two foreign oil tankers last month to investigate cyberattacks that compromised their systems.
The Coast Guard and FBI boarded two foreign vessels last month to investigate potential cyberattacks on the ships, according to a joint statement from the agencies Wednesday. The first incident involved a Liberian-flagged very large crude carrier bound for Galveston, Texas, which had lost communication for over 30 hours after being hacked in the Strait of Gibraltar.
A second foreign-flagged energy vessel, identified as the LPG carrier Kohaku, was boarded on August 24 under similar circumstances. The boarding party included Coast Guard law enforcement personnel, Coast Guard Cyber Protection Team members, a vessel inspector, and FBI Cyber Action Team operators.
The Coast Guard and FBI confirmed the operation publicly only in mid-September, after journalists started asking questions. The VL Prosperity, a 333-meter supertanker carrying roughly 2.3 million barrels of crude oil, was boarded on August 21 in the Atlantic Ocean.
According to Rob Lee of Dragos, the Coast Guard’s description of the risk is realistic. The Coast Guard is actively managing communications with port operators, vessel owners, and local maritime stakeholders to ensure port operations continue safely and without interruption.
The incident highlights the vulnerability of shipping vessels and the broader global logistics network to cyberattacks. Tankers often have complex networks that can be targeted by hackers, potentially causing significant disruptions to the global supply chain.
What's confirmed
- The Aug. 21 boarding party included Coast Guard law enforcement personnel, Coast Guard Cyber Protection Team members, a vessel inspector and FBI Cyber Action Team operators, who boarded “to conduct a comprehensive cyber security boarding and investigation,” according to the agencies’ joint statement.
What's still developing
- Coast Guard cyber teams have been investigating “dark fleets” carrying sanctioned oil from Iran and Russia, which rely on digital masking to hide their operations and carry enhanced cyber risks, The Wall Street Journal reported in June.
- Then-President Joe Biden signed an executive order in 2024 giving the Coast Guard additional authorities to respond to cybersecurity incidents, citing the risks that a maritime cyber incident could cause “cascading” harm to the global supply chain.
- HMM Ocean Service, the South Korea-based manager of the VL Prosperity, confirmed the boarding and said the ship was later cleared to resume normal operations pending a final report.
- It loaded near 2 million barrels at Egypt’s Sidi Kerir terminal, departed August 1, 2026, and was bound for Galveston.
- Here is what federal agencies have actually established about the boarding and the suspected breach.
- Iranian-backed hackers have since launched a destructive hack at medical device maker Stryker, hacked the mass transit system in Los Angeles, and compromised over a hundred water facilities across the United States in response to the widespread U.S. bombing of Iran.
- Tankers often have complex networks sprawling the span of the vessel to aid with navigation, organizing cargo, and ensuring the regular running of services necessary with operating a massive ship.
- A spokesperson for the Coast Guard did not immediately respond to a request for comment when emailed by TechCrunch on Friday, including asking for the names of the vessels involved.