An unidentified drone struck two gas vessels at Egypt’s Mediterranean port of Damietta on Wednesday, July 29 [1], igniting a fire that spread between the ships.
The attack targets critical energy infrastructure on Egypt's coast, raising concerns about maritime security and the vulnerability of gas storage facilities in the region.
Egyptian authorities have ruled out an accident as the cause of the blaze. A spokesperson for the Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources said the incident was caused by an unidentified drone that struck the vessels, leading to a fire on board.
The fire affected two vessels [2]. An official from the Egyptian Ministry of Transport said the drone hit the floating storage tanker Energos Winter, and the fire subsequently spread to the Gaslog Salem.
Preliminary investigations conducted by the Petroleum Ministry indicate that the fire was the result of a deliberate drone strike rather than a technical failure. Despite the confirmation of the attack, Egyptian officials have not identified the party responsible for launching the drone.
Earlier reports regarding the nature of the blaze were contradictory. Some initial statements from the Petroleum Ministry disputed reports of a drone strike, suggesting instead that the fire broke out on a regasification vessel. However, the ministry later confirmed the drone's involvement.
Emergency crews worked to contain the fire at the Damietta port, which serves as a vital hub for Egypt's energy imports and exports. The impact of the strike on the vessels' operational capacity has not yet been detailed by the government.
“The incident was caused by an unidentified drone that struck the vessels, leading to a fire on board.”
The strike on the Energos Winter and Gaslog Salem highlights a growing security risk for energy transit in the Mediterranean. By targeting floating storage and regasification units, the unidentified attacker demonstrated the ability to disrupt Egypt's gas supply chain using low-cost aerial technology, potentially forcing the government to increase military protections around its port infrastructure.
