Drone Hits US Gas Tanker in Egyptian Mediterranean Port

FSRU Energos Winter. (Source Energos)

JAKARTA - A drone hit a US-owned gas tanker in the Egyptian Mediterranean port of Damietta, British maritime security company Ambrey said on Wednesday, citing an initial assessment of the incident.

The drone hit the Energos Winter floating storage tanker, causing a fire that later spread to another ship, the Gaslog Salem, three trade sources familiar with the incident said, Al Arabiya reported from Reuters (29/7).

Two separate security sources said the likely cause of the blast was judged to be a drone attack, which could signal further conflict spreading in the Middle East.

A statement from Egypt's Ministry of Petroleum confirmed the fire in the port but did not mention the drone attack.

Meanwhile, port services company Inchcape said in a separate message that two gas tankers were on fire in Damietta.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the incident.

Energos Winter is a floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU) with a storage capacity of 138,250 cubic meters. The ship is owned by the US company, Energos Infrastructure.

Its technical, safety, and commercial operations are managed by Wilhelmsen Ship Management, which is also an American company.

The Egyptian Ministry of Petroleum stated in a statement that the fire occurred on a gasification vessel and a storage vessel in Damietta Port and was immediately dealt with in accordance with the emergency response plan approved by the fire and safety teams.

"Energy Minister Karim Badawi visited the site to oversee the response efforts," the statement said.

The fire did not cause any injuries or casualties and emergency teams and technical teams continue to work to respond to and assess the impact of the incident, the statement added.