An explosion occurred at a liquefied natural gas (LNG) transfer terminal in Egypt’s Damietta port during the unloading of a vessel, shipping company ISS Shipping announced.
The British maritime security firm Ambrey, meanwhile, said that at least one drone struck a gas carrier flying the Bermuda flag, owned by a Greek shipowner and operated by a Greek company. The company later added that a US-owned floating LNG storage facility operating under the Marshall Islands flag was also hit.
Egypt’s Ministry of Petroleum confirmed the fire at the port in a statement on its Facebook page. Reuters, citing three trading sources, said that a drone struck the floating gas storage vessel Energos Winter, causing a fire that later spread to another ship.
According to a report by The New York Times (NYT), the explosion at a US-owned floating liquefied natural gas storage facility in Egypt’s Damietta port may have been caused by a drone launched from Iran.
Iranian sources cited by the newspaper warned that if the conflict escalates, global energy supplies could face severe disruptions.
However, the sources did not specify whether the attack was carried out directly by Iran or by one of Tehran’s allied groups.
By Jeyhun Aghazada