BREAKING: Drone Strikes U.S.-Operated Gas Vessel at Egypt's Damietta Port — Egyptian LNG Terminal Explosion Under Investigation
Maritime security firm Ambrey said Wednesday that a U.S.-owned and operated floating LNG storage vessel — flagged to the Marshall Islands — was struck by at least one drone at Egypt's Damietta port, according to reports citing Reuters and Ambrey. The strike coincided with an explosion that occurred during cargo discharge operations at the port's LNG terminal.
Confirmed Incident: Damietta LNG Terminal
Inchcape Shipping Services reported an explosion at Damietta Port's LNG terminal during cargo discharge operations, with local authorities responding and the situation subsequently brought under control. The vessels involved were safely relocated outside the port area, and operations at other terminals and berths were expected to resume overnight.
A Fox News liveblog, citing Reuters and Ambrey, adds more specificity than earlier reporting suggested: the vessel struck was a U.S.-owned and operated floating LNG storage facility, Marshall Islands-flagged, hit by at least one drone while at the port, coinciding with the explosion during cargo discharge. Separately, Haaretz reported that an unidentified drone struck the U.S.-owned and operated gas storage facility, with two security sources and Ambrey saying the drones struck floating gas tankers operated by the United States.
Casualty and damage assessments diverge slightly depending on source and timing: Ambrey said no casualties or damage to port infrastructure were reported, and no group had immediately claimed responsibility. Haaretz similarly reported no casualties as of its update, with no party yet claiming responsibility.
On the investigative status of the drone angle, two security sources earlier told Reuters that Egyptian gas storage tankers may have been targeted by drones — language that has since hardened somewhat, with Ambrey now describing a drone strike on the floating storage vessel as established rather than merely suspected, per the most recent reporting.
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Important Clarification
The Damietta facility is an onshore LNG import/export terminal complex on Egypt's Mediterranean coast (operated as a joint venture between Egypt's Ministry of Petroleum and Eni, formerly SEGAS), not an offshore production platform. The vessel reportedly struck was a floating LNG storage tanker moored at the port — U.S.-owned, Marshall Islands-flagged — rather than the fixed terminal infrastructure itself. Loose social media characterizations of this as an "attack on a gas platform" conflate several distinct elements: the onshore terminal, the floating storage vessel, and the broader offshore Eastern Mediterranean gas infrastructure.
As of the latest checks, neither Egypt's Ministry of Petroleum nor other Egyptian official bodies have issued a public statement formally attributing the explosion to a drone strike; that characterization currently rests on maritime security firm Ambrey and unnamed Egyptian security sources cited by Reuters. No group has claimed responsibility.
The incident comes amid a wider pattern of drone and missile activity affecting Middle East energy infrastructure this year, including a June explosion at Qatar's Ras Laffan LNG facility that killed at least 13 people, days after Qatar's government said the industrial hub had sustained significant damage from Iranian missile and drone attacks in March. Egypt's Sinai and Red Sea coast have also seen recurring drone incidents in recent years, including a drone downed near the resort city of Dahab in December, with Egyptian officials unable to confirm its origin.
For further info:
Egypt: Reports of explosion at Damietta Port, drone strike suspected
Explosions reported at Egypt's Damietta Port | The Jerusalem Post