US Coast Guard boards tanker to probe cyberattack

Separately, the giant tanker "VL PROSPERITY," with a capacity of 2.3 million barrels of crude oil, was targeted by a major cyberattack in the Strait of Gibraltar on August 7, 2026, while sailing from Egypt's Sidi Kerir port toward the United States. According to a crew member, the attackers infiltrated engine-room systems, reduced cooling flow, increased engine speed, and disabled fuel and engine-oil tanks, cutting off all communications for 30 hours. Some Russian-language media outlets, citing senior Russian analysts, assessed this incident as part of a confrontation between the "Resistance Front" and the US, suggesting that US assets in international waters are not immune and that Persian Gulf countries should not expect to circumvent surveillance by changing oil export routes.