Conflict & Security
Damietta drone strike: captains feared port explosion
Marine officers who fought fires on two gas vessels hit by a drone at Egypt's Damietta port said they feared an explosion that could have damaged the port and parts of the city.
The US-owned Energos Winter floating storage and regasification unit and the Greek-owned LNG tanker GasLog Salem were moored side by side at the Mediterranean port. Together, they have a carrying capacity of 300,000 cubic metres.
One officer said the entire port and parts of Damietta could have exploded if the fire had spread to nearby liquefied natural gas infrastructure. Damietta is a Nile Delta city of more than 300,000 residents.
A second captain said officers heard an explosion aboard the GasLog Salem at about 2:10 pm on Wednesday, followed roughly 10 minutes later by a larger explosion on the Energos Winter. He credited the GasLog Salem crew with quickly shutting gas tank valves, helping contain that fire within two hours. He said the Energos Winter fire burned until around 8:00 pm after its crew evacuated.
Emergency responders surrounded each vessel with four firefighting tugboats, separated them and towed them away from critical port infrastructure while fighting the flames.
Egypt's government has said the fires were caused by a drone strike, the first on Egyptian territory since the outbreak of the Middle East war. No group or country has claimed responsibility, and Egypt has not accused any party.
Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouly said the vessels were moved for fear of an explosion affecting the port. Investigators later recovered drone fragments from the vessels after the fires were extinguished.
A security official briefed on the forensic investigation said it could take a long time for Egypt to announce results. The official said Egypt would not draw conclusions before the investigation was complete and would not be dragged into the war.
Egypt's government has said marine traffic is flowing normally and Damietta port remains operational.
Update
Marine officers who fought the fires said they feared the vessels could explode and damage the port and parts of Damietta city.
The vessels had a combined carrying capacity of 300,000 cubic metres.
One captain said explosions were heard on the GasLog Salem around 2:10 pm on Wednesday and on the Energos Winter about 10 minutes later.
Officers said four firefighting tugboats surrounded each vessel, separated them and towed them away from critical port infrastructure.
A security official said the forensic investigation could take a long time and that Egypt would not be drawn into the war.
Source note: AFP news report published on 1 August 2026 at 09:16:12 UTC.
Update
Egyptian authorities are analysing drone fragments from the Damietta port strike to establish their origin.
Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly said the Energos Winter storage and regasification vessel was intact, while the GasLog Salem tanker suffered some damage.
Madbouly said the vessels were separated and towed into open water because officials feared an explosion could affect the port.
Egypt has moved to resupply from an emergency facility in the Gulf of Aqaba under an agreement with Jordan.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi suggested on X that the attack was an Israeli false-flag operation, while Yemen's Houthi movement denied involvement.
Source note: AFP news report published on 30 July 2026 at 21:12:48 UTC.
Update
Egypt's president warned of regional escalation after the drone strike on the port.
Source note: AFP news report published on 30 July 2026 at 17:37:02 UTC.
Update
Analysts gave further assessments of possible launch routes and motives, including the idea that the strike could signal that US-linked assets are vulnerable beyond the Gulf.
A Houthi-affiliated news agency called rumours of Houthi involvement unfounded.
An analyst said some vessel owners and operators may wait to assess risks around the Suez Canal's northern gateway.
Egypt's government said marine traffic was flowing normally and Damietta port remained operational.
Source note: AFP news report published on 30 July 2026 at 14:11:16 UTC.
Update
Houthi-affiliated media reported that the Houthis said they were not behind the drone strike on the Egyptian port.
Source note: AFP news report published on 30 July 2026 at 13:22:48 UTC.
Uncertainty notes
Responsibility for the drone strike remains unresolved.
The origin of the drone remains under investigation.
One captain's account of the drone evading detection was not independently verified in the supplied material.
Source
AFP news report published on .