LNG Tanker Aborts Italy Run After Hacker Hijacking Claims

A US-bound liquefied natural gas (LNG) tanker, Vivit Africa LNG, turned away from its destination in Italy after its crew reported a possible cyberattack. The ship's crew claimed that hackers gained temporary control of the steam pressure and safety valve systems in the Strait of Gibraltar and later compromised tank pressure controls and relief valves in the Adriatic.

The incident occurred on September 16 when the tanker, sailing from Louisiana to Italy's Adriatic terminal, lost access to its cargo-monitoring systems. The crew reported the failure to Korean Register, which advised the South Korean-owned vessel.

Kongsberg Maritime, which supplied the ship's navigation and propulsion systems, said it was too early to judge the cause or any security implications.