Drone hit US-owned LNG tanker at Egypt's Damietta Port

The Middle East war has largely been confined to the Gulf and its surrounding hotspots. That changed on Wednesday when a drone hit a US-owned gas tanker at Egypt's Damietta Port, sparking concerns that the conflict is expanding into another most important energy hub.

The attack triggered an explosion and fire at the Mediterranean port while liquefied natural gas (LNG) cargo was being handled. The blaze spread from one vessel to another, prompting emergency crews to rush to the scene and forcing the evacuation of sailors. No injuries were reported, but the incident has intensified fears that the region's widening conflict is beginning to threaten countries that had so far remained outside the direct line of fire.

British maritime security firm Ambrey identified the vessel as the US-owned floating storage tanker Energos Winter, saying it was struck by a drone while docked at Damietta. According



to Reuters, the resulting fire spread to another LNG carrier, Gaslog Salem, before firefighters managed to contain the flames. Egyptian authorities later confirmed that a fire had broken out on a storage vessel and a tugboat at the port but stopped short of saying what caused it.

Egypt's Petroleum Minister Karim Badawi travelled to Damietta to oversee the emergency response as firefighting and technical teams worked to secure the site and assess the damage. In a statement, Egypt's Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources said emergency teams responded immediately and prevented the incident from escalating.

"The situation was dealt with immediately in accordance with the emergency plans and firefighting and safety teams at the site," the ministry said.

Officials said there were no casualties, but they made no reference to the reports of a drone strike.