An explosion at Damietta Port on Egypt’s Mediterranean coast, caused by a drone attack, set fire to two ships, including a U.S.-flagged gas storage tanker, Egyptian authorities reported Thursday. The incident, which occurred Wednesday, marks the first known attack targeting Egypt amid the ongoing conflict involving Iran, raising concerns over the security of a key energy corridor.
The Egyptian cabinet confirmed that the fire at the liquefied natural gas (LNG) hub was brought under control without any reported casualties. The two vessels affected were the floating storage tanker Energos Winter and the Gaslog Salem LNG tanker. Both ships were later moved offshore to facilitate further assessment and to minimize disruption at the port, according to officials and tracking data from maritime analytics firm Kpler.
Egyptian officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, attributed the attack to Iran and suggested it represented an escalation aimed at expanding the scope of the regional conflict. The report cited Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as having increased its willingness to target countries traditionally considered friendly or neutral, including Egypt.
The drone strike coincided with a series of military actions in the region. U.S. and Saudi forces had recently conducted strikes against Iran-aligned militias in eastern Iraq, and Iran responded with missile attacks against U.S. troops stationed in Jordan. U.S. President Donald Trump confirmed Wednesday that he had been briefed on the attack and implied Iranian responsibility.
The disruption at Damietta, a critical LNG import hub, underscores the vulnerability of energy infrastructure amid heightened tensions in the Middle East. Energy crossings, such as pumping stations, storage facilities, and ports, have become strategic points of contention, reflecting the complexity of securing energy supplies amid ongoing hostilities.
“This incident shows you how even supposedly safe alternative routes can now be threatened,” said Adi Imsirovic, a former energy-trading executive and lecturer at the University of Oxford. He noted that the attack signals that the conflict's reach extends beyond previously affected regions, posing broader risks to global energy networks.
Authorities continue to monitor the situation as the region braces for potential further escalation, with the attack raising questions about the security of vital energy corridors that serve domestic and international markets.