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Explosion hits LNG terminal at Egypt's Damietta port, two gas ships on fire
A US-owned and operated, Marshall Islands-flagged LNG floating storage facility was struck by at least one unmanned aerial vehicle
- PUBLISHED: Wed 29 Jul 2026, 8:07 PM UPDATED: Wed 29 Jul 2026, 9:12 PM
An explosion was reported on Wednesday evening at Egypt's Damietta Port, specifically at the LNG terminal during cargo discharge operations.
Maritime security firm Ambrey said that a drone had hit a US-owned gas storage tanker at the port, citing an initial assessment of the incident. The crew were evacuated and the fire had been brought under control, Ambrey said, adding that no party had claimed responsibility.
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Local authorities responded promptly, and the situation was brought under control. The vessels involved have been safely relocated outside the port area, Inchcape shipping services said on their website.
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Port operations are expected to resume during the nighttime at other berths and terminals.
The drone hit floating storage tanker Energos Winter, causing a fire that then spread to another vessel, Gaslog Salem, three trading sources familiar with the incident said. Two separate security sources said the cause of the blast was a drone strike, Reuters reported.
Egypt's petroleum ministry said that the fire broke out on regasification, and that no injuries or fatalities were reported.
Engineer Karim Badawi, Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, arrived at the site of the incident to monitor the situation on the ground and ensure the progress of control and safety measures.
"The situation was handled immediately in accordance with emergency and rapid response plans," the ministry said, without identifying the cause of the blaze.
Authorities urged the media and social media users to obtain information from the official data issued by the ministry, confirming the continued immediate follow-up of the situation and the announcement of any updates.
[With Reuters inputs]
