Egypt Confirms Drone Attack on 2 LNG Ships at Damietta Port, No Group Claims Responsibility
- Egypt's cabinet confirmed a drone struck a US-owned vessel at the Damietta port, sparking a fire that spread to a second LNG tanker
- No party claimed responsibility for the attack, though US President Donald Trump implied Iran or its proxies were behind it
- The Damietta incident occurred hours after the US and Saudi Arabia launched joint air strikes on Iran-backed groups in Iraq
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Egypt's cabinet has confirmed that a drone attack caused fires on two ships at the Mediterranean port of Damietta on Wednesday, at one of the country's most important liquefied natural gas (LNG) hubs.
According to an official statement, the drone hit the Energos Winter, a US-owned floating storage and regasification vessel.
Source: Getty Images
The resulting blaze spread to a nearby Greek-owned LNG tanker, GasLog Salem. Videos verified on social media captured thick black smoke rising from the port as tugboats worked to douse the flames with water.
Egyptian authorities said the fires were eventually put out and no casualties were recorded. Both vessels subsequently left the port and moved offshore, according to ship tracking data. The port itself continued operating at full capacity on Thursday.
"No party has claimed responsibility," the cabinet statement said, adding that authorities were pressing on with investigations and taking "the necessary measures to preserve Egypt's interests and national security."
Trump Points Finger at Iran
The origin of the drone and the identity of those behind the attack remained unclear. However, US President Donald Trump told reporters on Wednesday that he had been briefed on the situation and suggested Iran or its proxies were responsible, saying: "It's a little more of the same. But it's going to be straightening out."
While no direct link to Iran has been established, Iranian forces and Iran-backed armed groups have previously carried out attacks on tankers in the Gulf and Red Sea, as well as on energy infrastructure across several Arab countries. Egypt, a US ally, had not previously been directly targeted by Iran.
Wider Escalation in the Region
The Damietta incident unfolded amid sharply rising tensions across the Middle East. Hours before the attack on the port, US and Saudi forces conducted joint air strikes against Iran-backed armed groups in Iraq, whom they accused of hitting Saudi oil facilities with drones at least 30 times in recent days, allegedly at the direction of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
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Iraq's Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF), a paramilitary umbrella body dominated by Iran-aligned Shia militias, said at least 20 of its fighters were killed in those strikes and condemned the action as an "extremely serious escalation." Iran's foreign ministry also denounced the strikes and warned of "dangerous consequences."
Later on Wednesday night, the US carried out what it described as a "heavy wave of strikes" on Iran itself, saying the action was in response to an attempted "surprise" missile attack on American military facilities in Jordan.
Source: Legit.ng
