Fire breaks out on gas tankers at Egypt's Damietta Port following reported drone strike

Jul 29, 2026

On July 29, 2026, a reported drone strike hit the US-owned gas storage tanker Energos Winter at Egypt's Damietta port, causing a fire that spread to the Gaslog Salem. While maritime security firms and anonymous Iranian sources attribute the blast to a drone attack amid escalating regional tensions between the US, Iran, and Yemen's Houthi group, Egypt's petroleum ministry confirmed the fire but omitted any mention of a drone strike. No injuries were reported, and both vessels were moved away to allow port operations to resume.

Damietta port drone strike

▪Maritime security firm Ambrey and two other marine tracking companies reported that the explosion at Damietta port was caused by a drone attack.
▪A drone strike hit a US-owned gas storage tanker at Egypt's Mediterranean port of Damietta on July 29, 2026.
▪No group immediately claimed responsibility for the reported drone strike at Damietta port on July 29, 2026.

Regional conflict escalation

▪US President Donald Trump threatened retaliation against Iran, and Yemen's Houthi group declared a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia, following the incident.
▪The incident at Damietta port occurred following Iranian missile attacks on US bases and US-Saudi joint strikes on a Tehran-backed group in Iraq.
▪Two anonymous Iranian sources stated the explosion was a drone attack designed to show that global shipping and energy supplies could be disrupted if Iran chose to escalate.

Gas tanker fire damage

▪The drone strike hit the floating storage tanker Energos Winter on its starboard side, causing a fire that spread to another vessel, the Gaslog Salem.
▪The Energos Winter is a floating storage and regasification unit with a storage capacity of 138,250 cubic meters, owned by US-based Energos Infrastructure.
▪The incident is unlikely to significantly affect global energy markets because Egypt is not a major exporter of natural gas.

Emergency response operations

▪Egyptian Petroleum Minister Karim Badawi went to the Damietta port to oversee the emergency response and assess the impact of the incident.
▪Both vessels were moved away from the Damietta port, and port operations at other berths and terminals were expected to resume overnight.
▪Crew members were evacuated from the affected vessels, and the fire was brought under control and extinguished without causing any injuries or deaths.

Conflicting official accounts

▪Egypt's petroleum ministry confirmed the fire at Damietta port but made no mention of a drone attack or the cause of the incident in its official statements.
▪While maritime security firms and security sources assessed the blast as a drone strike, there was no official confirmation from Egyptian authorities or the ships' owners.

US-owned vessel targeted

▪One of the two ships that caught fire, the Energos Winter, is a US-owned natural gas storage tanker.
▪The technical, safety, and commercial operations of the Energos Winter are managed by Wilhelmsen Ship Management, a US company.