A liquefied natural gas tanker carrying fuel from the United States to Europe suffered a system failure and the crew reported a suspected cyber attack, according to people familiar with the matter.
In the latest of several potential tanker cybersecurity incidents, the Vivit Africa LNG was sailing eastward toward Italy in the Mediterranean and Adriatic Seas earlier this month when the crew suddenly lost access to parts of its internal control systems, people familiar with the matter said. Requests to remain anonymous because the information is not public.
Trading giant Vitol Group confirmed the vessel was on a long-term charter, known as a time charter, but had no further comment.
Read more: US tracks cyber threats to nearly 20 ships around the world
The ship, which wandered off the Italian coast without unloading its cargo, began departing its intended destination of Rovigo on Wednesday, heading back to the Spanish port of Algeciras near the entrance to the Mediterranean, according to shipping data compiled by Bloomberg.
The crew reported the incident early last week to Korea Classification Society, the South Korean ship’s technical and safety adviser, and an investigation is ongoing, people familiar with the matter said. They said there was no indication of who might have been responsible for the suspected attack.
South Korea’s H-Line Shipping Co. Ltd, owner of Korean Register and Vivit Africa LNG, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The suspected hack of the Vivit Africa LNG follows other incidents in late August, when the U.S. Coast Guard and FBI boarded two oil and gas tankers off the U.S. coast over potential cyber attacks. U.S. officials are monitoring nearly two dozen ships around the world for such threats.
Ship tracking data showed the tanker loaded its cargo at the Cameron LNG terminal in Louisiana. The ship was crossing the Atlantic and approaching its destination in early September when the crew encountered technical problems that stalled the voyage.
The Italian Coast Guard provided assistance to the ship “after the captain reported a malfunction in the system used to monitor cargo parameters, requiring the intervention of the company’s technical personnel,” captain Roberto D’Arrigo said in an emailed statement. The cause of the problem could not be determined and “the Chioggia Coast Guard intervened solely for navigational safety purposes, issuing an urgent notice to seafarers asking them to keep their distance.”
Vivit Africa LNG uses some equipment from Kongsberg Maritime, which provides positioning, navigation and propulsion technology for ships. The company is aware of reports of the incident, but “it is too early to draw conclusions about the cause or any potential safety implications,” spokesman Jon Berg said.
Copyright 2026 Bloomberg.
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