Cybersecurity teams from the US Coast Guard and the FBI boarded two US-bound oil tankers last month after hackers reportedly compromised at least one ship's networks and took control of its navigation, propulsion and cargo systems.
According to a joint statement shared with TechCrunch, the agencies boarded the vessels in the Gulf of Mexico between 21 and 24 August to ensure the integrity of the vessels' operational and information technology systems following indications that the networks of both vessels were compromised.
The Coast Guard released photos of its staff and FBI agents climbing aboard one of the vessels, which were shared with CBS News. The statement said the captain, crew and on-shore staff of the vessel's owner cooperated with the agencies.
CBS News confirmed that one of the tankers is VL Prosperity, a 333-metre oil tanker that can hold over 2 million barrels of oil. Citing Iranian media, CBS said hackers compromised the ship on 7 August while it was travelling from Egypt to the United States and interfered with its speed and fuel systems. The tanker also lost communications for more than a day, according to CBS.
It is unclear who is behind the attacks, but CBS News said the US is looking into whether Iran is behind the hack. The joint FBI-Coast Guard statement said there were no reports of operational disruptions, vessel instability, physical danger to crews, or environmental impacts.