LNG Tanker Experiences Suspected Cyberattack in Mediterranean Sea
A liquefied natural gas (LNG) tanker, Vivit Africa LNG, has reportedly experienced a systems failure in the Mediterranean Sea that its crew suspects was a cyberattack. The incident occurred early this month while the ship was sailing east towards Italy.
According to Bloomberg, the crew suddenly lost access to some internal control systems, which they reported to Korean Register, the technical and safety adviser to the South Korean-owned vessel. Investigations are ongoing but there are no indications of who may be responsible for the suspected attack.
The Vivit Africa LNG was carrying a cargo loaded at Louisiana's Cameron LNG terminal and had sailed across the Atlantic before encountering technical issues in early September. The ship's crew reported the incident to the Italian Coast Guard, which assisted the vessel after its master reported a malfunction in the systems used to monitor cargo parameters.
The suspected hacking follows other incidents in late August when two oil and gas tankers off the US coast were boarded by the Coast Guard and Federal Bureau of Investigation due to potential cyberattacks. American officials are monitoring nearly 20 ships around the world for such threats.