Crew of LNG Carrier Vivit Africa Report Cyberattack on Cargo Safety Systems
The ship abandoned its Adriatic discharge and turned west towards Algeciras
A US LNG cargo bound for Italy has been diverted after the crew of the carrier reported a systems failure they believe was a cyberattack. The Liberia-flagged VIVIT AFRICA LNG, owned by South Korea's H-Line Shipping and on long-term charter to Vitol, had loaded at the Cameron LNG export terminal in Louisiana and was approaching the Adriatic earlier this month when the crew lost access to some internal control systems.
The ship then idled off Italy without discharging, abandoned its planned call at the Adriatic LNG terminal near Rovigo, and headed west again towards Algeciras. The crew reported the incident to class society Korean Register, and an investigation is continuing.
In an email, members of the crew described a sequence of events beginning before the ship reached the terminal. They wrote that they had determined the vessel was targeted by cyber attackers prior to berthing, and said the initial attack was intended to compromise the ship's control systems. During the transit of the Strait of Gibraltar, they alleged, the attackers gained temporary control of the steam pressure and safety valve systems.
The crew further claimed that while the ship was in the Adriatic the attackers compromised tank pressure control systems and pressure relief valves and disrupted the boil-off gas management cycle. That disruption, the email stated, significantly increases the risk of tank rupture and explosion. The crew's account has not been independently verified.
Italy's coastguard has given a more cautious description of the same events, saying the master reported a malfunction in systems monitoring cargo parameters which required company technicians to intervene. The cause could not be determined, and the coastguard issued a navigational warning telling other ships to keep clear.
The case lands in a month of heightened scrutiny of maritime cyber risk. Two oil and gas tankers off the US coast were boarded by the US Coast Guard and the FBI in late August following suspected cyber incidents, and US authorities are reported to be watching close to 20 vessels globally for potential threats. What separates this report from those is the system involved: the claim is not that navigation or business systems were disturbed but that cargo containment controls on a laden gas carrier were reachable from outside.
The commercial consequence is already visible in the ship's track. A laden LNG carrier that leaves a discharge terminal without unloading has to find another buyer or another berth for a cargo that is boiling off while it waits, and the charterer carries that cost.
This story is part of the Maritime Briefing of 22 September 2026.
