US authorities boarded two US‑bound foreign‑flagged ships after suspected network intrusions, report says

Marine authorities in the Gulf of Mexico boarded two foreign‑flagged commercial vessels bound for the United States after indications that hackers had gained access to shipboard computer networks, a report said.

The operation involved personnel from the United States Coast Guard and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, who carried out boardings in the Gulf of Mexico in late August, according to MarineLink Maritime News.

MarineLink's report placed the actions on 21 and 24 August, when the two separate boardings occurred. The news outlet headlined its item “U.S. Bound Tankers Hacked, says USCG”.

The vessels were described in the report as foreign‑flagged and en route to the United States at the time the inspections took place. MarineLink said the boardings followed indications that the ships’ computer systems had been compromised.

The joint involvement of US Coast Guard and FBI personnel was highlighted in the report as part of the response to those indications. The news item characterised the activity as unusual and noted the precise August dates for the two operations.

Boardings in August

According to MarineLink, the first boarding was carried out on 21 August and the second on 24 August. Both boardings were conducted aboard foreign‑flagged ships located in the Gulf of Mexico while the vessels were bound for the United States.

The report named the agencies involved but did not provide further detail about the identities of the vessels or the precise nature of the network breaches beyond describing them as indications that hackers had broken into onboard computer networks. MarineLink dated its account 18 September 2026.

Reporting and verification

The information summarised here derives from the MarineLink Maritime News report published on 18 September 2026 and draws only on the factual points it presented: that US Coast Guard and FBI personnel boarded two commercial, foreign‑flagged vessels in the Gulf of Mexico on 21 and 24 August after indications of intrusion into the ships’ computer networks, and that the vessels were bound for the United States at the time.

MarineLink’s headline framed the matter as an allegation of hacking against tankers bound for the US, and the outlet described the boardings as an unusual measure by maritime and law enforcement authorities. No additional operational details were provided in the report.