Drone attack caused fire on gas ships at Mediterranean port, Egypt says

What the report says

BBC Africa reported that Egypt’s cabinet said a drone attack was responsible for a fire on Wednesday involving two vessels at Damietta, a Mediterranean port that is important to the country’s liquefied natural gas trade. The reported strike hit the US-owned floating storage and regasification vessel Energos Winter, and the fire then affected the Greek-owned LNG tanker GasLog Salem, according to the report.

Egyptian authorities said no casualties were recorded, the fires were put out, and the port was still operating at full capacity on Thursday. BBC Africa cited verified social media footage showing black smoke over the port and tugboats spraying water on the vessels. Ship-tracking data cited in the report indicated both ships later left the port area and moved offshore.

No group has claimed responsibility, and Egypt said investigations were continuing while officials took measures to protect national security and the country’s interests. The BBC noted that it was not yet clear where the drone came from or who launched it.

The incident matters because Damietta is a key LNG hub and the reported attack comes amid wider regional tensions affecting shipping and energy infrastructure. BBC Africa reported that Iranian forces and Iran-backed groups have carried out similar attacks in the Gulf and Red Sea during the US and Israel’s war with Iran, though Egypt has not previously been directly attacked by Iran. The article also cited US President Donald Trump as saying he had been briefed and appearing to suggest Iran or its proxies were involved, without providing evidence of responsibility.