U.S. authorities moved aboard two oil tankers in the Gulf of Mexico in late August to regain control after signs that the ships’ internal networks had been breached, preventing a potential disruption to vessels bound for the U.S. coast.
In a joint statement, the FBI and the U.S. Coast Guard said teams boarded the vessels between August 21 and August 24 to check and restore the integrity of the ships’ operational and information technology systems following indications that both vessels’ networks were compromised. The agencies released photos of staff and agents climbing aboard one vessel; the statement said the ships’ captains, crews, and the owner’s shore personnel cooperated with the response.
CBS News identified one of the tankers as VL Prosperity, a 333-meter oil tanker with capacity for over 2 million barrels, and reported that VesselFinder shows the ship currently located in the Gulf of Mexico. Citing Iranian media, CBS said attackers interfered with the tanker’s speed and fuel systems on August 7 while it was en route from Egypt to the United States, and that the vessel lost communications for more than a day. It is unclear who is responsible, and U.S. officials are probing whether Iran had a role, CBS reported.
The joint statement added there were "no reports of operational disruptions, vessel instability, physical danger to crews, or environmental impacts." The incident underscores how modern tankers rely on intertwined networks for navigation, cargo management, and engineering controls, creating multiple points of vulnerability when those systems are breached.
U.S. investigators are continuing their work to determine how the intrusions occurred and whether the incidents are linked to a recent wave of attacks attributed to Iranian-backed actors, which have included strikes on medical device makers, mass transit systems, and water facilities. For now, authorities focused on the boarded vessels say immediate risks to crew safety and the environment were not observed, and remediation and forensic checks remain underway.
