"No American ship is safe"; will guns give way to codes?

🔴 "No American ship is safe"; will guns give way to codes? ▪️ A Saudi captain spoke of cyber warfare in the Strait of Gibraltar and asked: Will guns give way to codes? 🔹 Captain Mamdouh bin Jaber alsaket, an experienced captain and graduate of the Warsash Maritime Academy in England with over 25 years of experience in commanding large ships, reported in a message on his official social media page about an unprecedented cyber attack on the fleet of Aramco and a giant oil tanker of the company in the Strait of Gibraltar, warning of the onset of a new season of conflicts in the maritime domain. 🔹 According to this Saudi captain, during the attack on the oil tanker "PROSPERITY VL" flying the Liberian flag that occurred on the night of the 7 August 2026 (16 Mordad 1405), the attackers disrupted the motor control systems and fuel tanks, causing the vessel to lose communication for 30 hours. Alsaket emphasized: "This is a new type of attack; the target was not the physical body of the ship, but its nervous system. The goal was not to sink the ship, but to deliver a clear message: no ship, even in remote waters, is safe from cyber attacks." 🔹 He concluded by posing a strategic question: "Will the next major maritime conflict be fought not with guns, but with codes and software?" Maritime experts have warned of increased insurance and security costs on vital routes if such attacks recur.