Drone Strikes U.S.-Linked LNG Vessels at Egypt’s Damietta Port
DAMIETTA, Egypt (Dispatches) – A drone struck a U.S.-owned floating liquefied natural gas (LNG) storage vessel at Egypt’s Damietta Port on Wednesday, sparking a fire that spread to a second tanker, according to maritime security firms and security sources.
At least one unmanned aerial vehicle hit the Marshall Islands-flagged Energos Winter, a floating LNG storage and regasification unit chartered by U.S.-based New Fortress Energy, while it was docked at the Mediterranean port. The blaze subsequently spread to a second vessel, the Gaslog Salem, three shipping industry sources told Reuters.
Maritime security firm Ambrey confirmed the drone strike on the U.S.-operated facility. Egyptian authorities confirmed an incident involving two gas-carrying vessels but did not immediately describe it as an attack.
Damietta’s LNG terminal is a strategic component of Egypt’s energy sector, serving as a major import and regasification hub amid rising domestic energy demands and declining natural gas production.