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A US-owned FSRU and an LNG carrier have been struck by drones at the Egyptian Mediterranean port of Damietta, according to maritime security firm Vanguard. The Marshall Islands-flagged floating storage and regasification unit Energos Winter was struck at around 14:20 hrs UTC on 29 July.
The Bermuda-flagged LNG carrier Gaslog Salem was also struck by a projectile on its starboard side at the same time. The CSO for the Energos Winter reported a fire onboard the vessel following the strike.
The vessel was moved away from the terminal and all crew were accounted for and reported to be safe. Non-essential personnel were evacuated and local fire services assisted with extinguishing the fire.
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They reported the Gaslog Salem was struck near the no.2 forward cargo tanks. The crew extinguished a small fire and a minor leak was reported. All 25 crew of the vessel were reported to be safe and accounted for.
A video posted on social media showed smoke billowing from the two vessels at adjacent berths in the port. AIS tracking data from Pole Star Global shows the Gaslog Salem and Energos Winter as moving offshore from the port.
Egypt’s Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources confirmed a response to a fire on the FSRU but did not say the vessels had been attacked. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
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US President Donald Trump was asked in a White House press briefing about the attack on the LNG carrier in Egypt and whether it was Iran-related. Trump said he’d been briefed on the incident and described it as “a little more of the same”.
The threat to shipping has expanded to the Red Sea over the last two weeks with the Houthi in Yemen’s attempt to blockade Saudi ports and strikes on ships and oil storage facilities. This incident represents a geographic widening of the threat to shipping and energy assets in relation to the conflict in the Middle East into the Mediterranean.
It is a serious situation.
