An incident involving a US gas tanker occurred in the Egyptian Mediterranean port of Damietta. According to the British maritime security firm Ambrey, the vessel was hit by a drone. The Egyptian Ministry of Petroleum confirmed a fire at the port, but the official statement did not specify the cause of the blaze nor mention a drone attack.
Incident details
According to three sources familiar with trade operations, the strike hit the floating storage unit Energos Winter. As a result of the fire, the flames spread to a neighboring vessel, the tanker Gaslog Salem. Two independent security experts assessed the likely cause of the explosion as a drone strike.
The British maritime risk management group Vanguard clarified that Energos Winter was hit by an unidentified projectile on its starboard side. This resulted in a fire, which was subsequently extinguished. At present, no one has claimed responsibility for the attack.
Context of escalation
The incident occurred against a backdrop of heightened regional tensions. The attack coincided with recent events: an Iranian missile strike on US troops in Jordan, as well as retaliatory strikes by the US and Saudi Arabia on pro-Iranian groups in Iraq.
The situation is exacerbated by statements from leaders. US President Donald Trump threatened to respond to Iran, while the Yemeni Houthi group declared a naval blockade of Saudi Arabia. Experts believe the conflict is intensifying, reaching scales unseen since the start of US and Israeli bombings of Iran in February.
About the affected vessels
The struck vessel, Energos Winter, is a floating storage and regasification unit with a capacity of 138,250 cubic meters. The vessel's owner is the US company Energos Infrastructure. Technical maintenance, safety, and commercial operations are managed by another US entity — Wilhelmsen Ship Management.
Diplomatic background
On Wednesday night, Iran had already launched ballistic missiles at one of the US bases in the Middle East. This was the first such launch after the parties announced a suspension of strikes the previous week. The day before, Trump spoke of the possibility of a positive outcome of negotiations with Tehran, but warned that Washington is preparing a backup plan in case diplomacy fails. Earlier, he also stated that in the absence of an agreement, the US would be forced to destroy a nuclear facility in Mount Pikaks.
