Federal agents and maritime officers boarded a pair of foreign commercial ships in the Gulf of Mexico on Aug. 21 and Aug. 24 to investigate compromised operational and information technology systems. A joint statement from the Coast Guard and FBI issued Wednesday detailed "joint offshore security boardings" to ensure system integrity after indications that the vessels' networks were breached. US authorities reported no operational disruptions resulting from the compromises.

The targeted vessels were oil and LNG tankers bound for Texas, including one carrying more than 2 million barrels of oil to Galveston that was reportedly under hacker control for 30 hours. These breaches occurred in August during transit through the Strait of Gibraltar, and US agencies are currently monitoring similar cyber threats against nearly 20 shipping vessels globally.