Drone hits gas storage tanker at Egyptian port, signaling possible expansion of Mideast war

An explosion took place at the liquid natural gas terminal at Egypt’s Damietta Port as cargo was being unloaded, according to media reports.

According to the Ambrey global security company, a drone hit a US-owned gas storage tanker, with no injuries reported.

Port services firm Inchcape says in a separate message that two gas tankers had caught fire at Damietta.

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 say. Two separate security sources say the cause of the blast was a drone strike.

The crew was evacuated and the fire brought under control, Ambrey says, adding that no party had claimed responsibility.

Official Egyptian channels have not yet commented on the incident.

The explosion occurred while the Middle East is on high alert, as Iranian drones have targeted a number of Arab countries. Iran’s Houthi allies in Yemen have also recently hit Saudi energy facilities. Egypt has until now not been hit by Iranian drone strikes.