A drone attack on Egypt's Damietta LNG Terminal damaged two ships, causing fires but no injuries, raising concerns over maritime security.
Attack on LNG Terminal in Egypt: Two Ships Damaged
Egypt's Damietta LNG Terminal on the Mediterranean coast was targeted in an attack believed to involve an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). A fire broke out on a floating LNG storage and regasification unit (FSRU) and an LNG carrier, while it was reported that all crew members were safe.
According to an assessment by maritime security company Ambrey, an unidentified UAV struck the FSRU named Energos Winter, operated by the American company Energos Infrastructure, while it was moored at the terminal on Wednesday. It was noted that the fire that started after the impact spread to the nearby LNG carrier named GasLog Salem.
Some security sources claimed that both vessels were hit by different munitions. Accordingly, Energos Winter sustained damage on the starboard side, while damage occurred near the bow cargo tanks of GasLog Salem.
With the support of local emergency response teams, the fire on both vessels was quickly brought under control and extinguished. It was announced that there were no casualties or injuries in the incident.
Operations at the terminal were temporarily halted.
Following the fire, both vessels left the dock and moved to the open waters of Damietta.
Inchcape Shipping Services announced that a portion of the terminal was temporarily closed due to an explosion that occurred during the cargo discharge operation, but operations resumed at unaffected docks during the night.
The Egyptian Ministry of Petroleum also confirmed that a fire broke out on a regasification ship and an LNG storage vessel. However, it did not officially confirm the assessment that the incident was caused by a UAV attack. The ministry stated that emergency procedures were immediately activated and the situation was brought under control.
Meanwhile, images shared on social media claimed to show a UAV approaching the terminal.
Plays a critical role in Egypt's LNG infrastructure
The Energos Winter, with a capacity of 138,250 cubic meters, serves as one of the key components of Egypt's expanded floating LNG import system. The vessel, capable of supplying approximately 650 million standard cubic feet of regasified natural gas daily, is one of four FSRUs deployed to support the country's natural gas supply security.
The GasLog Salem, built in 2015, operates as an LNG carrier with a capacity of 155,000 cubic meters.
Risk of conflict moves to the Mediterranean
Experts suggest that the incident in Damietta could mark a new turning point in the increasingly expanding maritime security crisis in the Middle East.
Recently, attacks on commercial vessels and energy infrastructure have primarily concentrated around the Strait of Hormuz and the southern Red Sea, while the targeting of Damietta on the Mediterranean coast has led to assessments that the risk of conflict has moved beyond established war-risk areas for the first time.
Source: SeaNews Türkiye
