The Egyptian government announced on Thursday morning that the fire that broke out on Wednesday evening aboard two vessels at Damietta Port—one a US-owned natural gas carrier and the other a storage vessel—was caused by a drone “for which no party has claimed responsibility,” adding that the “relevant authorities” are continuing their investigation.
In a statement issued 14 hours after the fire, the Cabinet said preliminary investigations conducted by the “relevant authorities” confirmed that the incident resulted from a drone.
It added that the authorities, unnamed in the statement, were continuing investigations “to determine the circumstances surrounding the incident and take the necessary measures to safeguard Egypt’s interests and national security.”
The Cabinet offered no details on where the drone originated, whether it was detected, or how it entered Egyptian airspace, stating only that no party has claimed responsibility for the incident.
British maritime security firm Ambrey said Wednesday evening that at least one drone struck the floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU) Energos Winter at Damietta Port. Meanwhile, Egypt’s petroleum ministry stated only that a fire had affected the two vessels, without disclosing a cause.
The drone strike triggered a fire that spread to the LNG carrier GasLog Salem, according to a preliminary assessment by Ambrey, three commercial sources, and two security sources who spoke to Reuters. Port services company Inchcape said the explosion occurred during cargo unloading and that the affected vessels had been moved outside the port area.
The Ministry of Petroleum said it had brought the fire aboard the regasification vessel and the storage vessel under control, with no injuries or casualties reported.
Energos Winter is a floating regasification vessel owned by US-based Energos Infrastructure, headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut. It is leased by the Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Company (EGAS) for five years. The vessel is a key component of Egypt’s LNG import system, with a storage capacity of 138,250 cubic meters and the ability to deliver up to 650 million cubic feet of gas per day.
The incident occurred as the regional war expanded, hours after the US and Saudi Arabia launched strikes on Popular Mobilization Forces bases in Iraq, while Brent crude prices jumped by more than 7%, rising above $90 a barrel.
