Damietta port in Egypt, seen in August 2024. [Reuters]
Damietta port in Egypt, seen in August 2024. [Reuters]

A fire broke out at LNG storage and transport facilities moored at Egypt's Mediterranean port of Damietta following a drone strike, British maritime security firm Ambrey said Wednesday (local time). If confirmed, the incident would suggest the Middle East war that began in the Gulf region has spread across the Red Sea and into Egypt.

A US-owned floating storage unit and a Greek-owned carrier caught fire in the drone attack, according to Reuters, the AP and AFP. Ambrey said crew members had evacuated and the fire had been brought under control.

Port services firm Inchcape also said in a separate message that two gas carriers had caught fire at Damietta port.

Industry sources said a drone struck the floating storage unit Energos Winter, igniting a fire that spread to another vessel, the Gaslog Salem. Other security sources also confirmed that a drone strike caused the explosion.

Videos circulating on social media showed smoke billowing from an oil tanker berthed at an LNG production facility, with firefighting vessels spraying water on the burning ships.

According to British maritime risk management firm Vanguard, the Energos Winter was struck on its starboard side by an unidentified projectile.

No group or party has claimed responsibility for the attack.

Egypt's Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources said in a statement that fires had broken out aboard a regasification vessel and a storage vessel at Damietta port and were being extinguished, adding that no casualties had been reported.

The ministry did not explain the cause of the fire. It added that Petroleum Minister Karim Badawi had traveled to the scene immediately after receiving the fire report to personally oversee firefighting and safety operations, and urged media outlets and social media users to rely solely on official government statements for accurate information.


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