US-Owned LNG Ship Reportedly Struck By Kamikaze Drone At Egyptian Port
A potentially major escalation emerged late Wednesday after a US-owned gas-processing vessel moored at Egypt's Mediterranean port of Damietta was reportedly struck by a drone, according to Reuters, citing maritime security firm Ambrey. Details remain scant, and this assessment is preliminary.
Explosion disrupts Damietta LNG hub
— Kpler (@Kpler) July 29, 2026
An explosion at Egypt's Damietta LNG terminal has disrupted operations at one of the country's key LNG import hubs after damaging the Energos Winter floating storage and regasification unit and the GasLog Salem LNG tanker. Both vessels have… pic.twitter.com/mYNTUanzT7
🚨🇺🇸🇪🇬🇲🇭 A US-owned LNG floating storage facility flying a Marshall Islands flag was struck by at least one drone in Damietta, Egypt.
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) July 29, 2026
Local authorities say the situation is now ‘under control.'
“The vessels involved have been safely relocated outside the port area... port… pic.twitter.com/te6MxlOtDp
Ship-tracking data from Bloomberg shows the gas-processing vessel Energos Winter, which serves as a floating storage and regasification unit, moored off the port of Damietta. The port hosts the Damietta LNG terminal, a critical outlet for processing and exporting Egyptian and regional natural gas to Europe.
Reuters reported:
The drone hit floating storage tanker Energos Winter, causing a fire that then spread to another vessel, Gaslog Salem, three trading sources familiar with the incident said. Two separate security sources said the cause of the blast was a drone strike.
The crew was evacuated, and the fire had been brought under control, Ambrey said, adding that no party had claimed responsibility.
Our partners at Newsquawk issued an alert at around 12:09 p.m. New York time that appeared to contradict Reuters' reporting on the floating storage and regasification unit:
Reports of a drone attack targeting Damietta port are false, Al Hadath reports, citing a source.
There are also conflicting reports on X: Some say it was a drone strike, while others say it was an industrial accident.
Two small drones hit it from two points according to a source in that port. No industrial accident at all.
— Babak Taghvaee - The Crisis Watch (@BabakTaghvaee1) July 29, 2026
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