The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and US Coast Guard investigators found that hackers briefly accessed a digital system connected to VL Prosperity’s propulsion while the fully laden tanker was nearing the Texas coast this summer. Bloomberg reported the finding on October 2, citing US officials familiar with the investigation.
The attackers have not been identified, and investigators have yet to determine how they entered the system or which functions they could control.
On August 21, a joint US Coast Guard–FBI team boarded the Liberian-flagged VLCC after communications were lost and authorities received indications its network was compromised.
Investigators reviewed the systems the vessel used for operational technology and information technology.
The agencies also boarded a second vessel in the Gulf of Mexico on August 24. The boardings were intended to check the integrity of the vessels’ operational and information technology systems.
The FBI said: “Currently, there are no reports of operational disruptions, vessel instability, physical danger to crews, or environmental impacts.”
The 333-metre-long tanker is managed by HMM Ocean Service and can carry about 2.3 million barrels of oil. The company confirmed that the coast guard had boarded the vessel.
VL Prosperity was bound for Galveston, Texas. Shipping data cited by Bloomberg showed that the vessel remained anchored offshore Galveston at the time of its October 2 report.