The Vivit Africa LNG tanker, which was transporting liquefied natural gas from the United States to Europe, encountered a disruption in its systems earlier this month, which the crew reported as a suspicious cyber attack.
Incident Details
The tanker was en route to Italy when the crew suddenly lost access to some internal control systems. This incident occurred amidst a number of potential cybersecurity-related incidents involving tankers. The trading group Vitol confirmed that it has the tanker on a long-term lease under a time charter but did not provide further information.
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After stopping off the coast of Italy and failing to load its cargo, the tanker headed towards the Spanish port of Algeciras on Wednesday, near the entrance to the Mediterranean Sea. The crew reported the incident to the Korean Register early last week, which acts as a technical and safety advisor for this South Korean-owned tanker, and an investigation is underway.
Consequences and Reactions
There are no signs of the identity of the perpetrator of this suspicious attack. The Korean Register and the tanker’s owner, H-Line Shipping Co. Ltd from South Korea, did not respond to requests for immediate comment. This incident follows other incidents in late August when two tankers carrying oil and gas off the U.S. coast were investigated due to the possibility of a cyber attack.
The Vivit Africa LNG tanker had loaded a cargo from the Cameron LNG terminal in Louisiana and was approaching its destination in early September after crossing the Atlantic when the crew encountered technical issues. The Italian Coast Guard assisted the tanker, and Captain Roberto D’Arrigo stated, "After the captain reported a disruption in the monitoring systems for cargo parameters, there was a need for the company’s technicians to intervene."
The cause of the problem was not identifiable, and "the Chioggia Coast Guard only intervened for navigational safety reasons and issued an immediate warning to mariners to keep their distance." The Vivit Africa LNG tanker uses some equipment from Kongsberg Maritime, which provides positioning, navigation, and propulsion technology for ships. The company is aware of the incident reports but "it is still too early to draw conclusions about the cause or any potential security implications," said spokesperson Jon Berge.
Last month, U.S. Coast Guard personnel and the FBI investigated two commercial vessels in the Gulf of Mexico after signs of hackers infiltrating their computer networks were observed. Currently, U.S. officials are monitoring nearly 20 vessels worldwide for potential threats.
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