Egypt confirms fire at Damietta port caused by drone attack
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Egypt has confirmed today the fire that broke out aboard two vessels at Damietta Port in the country's north on Wednesday was caused by a drone attack.
“The relevant authorities conducted a preliminary investigation into the incident. The investigation found that the fire was caused by a drone. No party has claimed responsibility for the incident,” a statement by the country’s Prime Minister’s office said.
Iranian officials cited by NYT have hinted the attack was carried out by Tehran.
Days before the strike, Iranian state television said that Damietta could be a potential target for retaliation against Ukraine after a Kyiv struck an Iranian vessel in the Caspian Sea.
Egypt's Ministry of Petroleum said in a statement that the fire erupted "on the regasification vessel and the storage vessel located at Damietta Port," adding that authorities responded immediately in line with emergency and rapid response plans. It stressed that the incident "resulted in no injuries or loss of life."
The ministry added that "the necessary measures are being taken to assess the repercussions of the incident."
Maritime intelligence firm Kpler said an "explosion" at the Damietta natural gas terminal disrupted operations after damaging the floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU) Energos Winter and the liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier GasLog Salem.
Earlier, maritime security firm Ambrey reported that a US-owned and operated LNG floating storage facility flying the Marshall Islands flag had come under attack by "at least one drone while berthed at Damietta Port" during unloading operations.
Ayman Saleh, former head of the Damietta Port Authority, told AFP that "a regasification vessel was moored alongside an LNG carrier at Damietta Port," explaining that the regasification process is carried out "under very high pressure," meaning that any leak could trigger a fire.
Located on Egypt's Mediterranean coast, Damietta Port is one of the country's most important ports.
It hosts facilities for processing, storing, and re-exporting natural gas, raising concerns over natural gas futures following the fire amid global energy market disruptions caused by the war in the Middle East.
