A US-owned floating gas storage tanker was struck by a drone at Egypt’s Mediterranean port of Damietta on Wednesday, igniting a fire that spread to a second vessel and marking a significant escalation in the widening Iran-US conflict.
British maritime security firm Ambrey reported that the Energos Winter, a US-owned floating storage unit, was hit at the Damietta port complex. Crew members were evacuated and the fire was brought under control, the firm said. Egypt’s oil ministry confirmed that two ships used for gas processing and storage caught fire, and said no injuries were reported.
“The situation was handled immediately in accordance with emergency and rapid response plans,” the ministry said in a statement, without identifying the cause of the blaze. Port operations are expected to resume overnight at other berths and terminals, according to Inchcape, a maritime shipping service that earlier reported a blast at the LNG terminal.
The strike hit a vessel named months ago by Iranian officials in public threats against US-operated energy infrastructure. Damietta sits on Egypt’s northern coast, far from the Persian Gulf and Red Sea where the bulk of Iran-US hostilities have been concentrated since the conflict erupted earlier this month.
The attack comes as President Donald Trump has intensified rhetoric against Tehran, vowing to hit Iran “hard” after a wave of Iranian missile strikes against US bases in Jordan and other regional targets. US and Saudi forces have simultaneously carried out joint strikes against Iran-backed militias in Iraq.
The expansion of the conflict to Egyptian waters threatens to draw in Cairo, which has sought to maintain neutrality during the US-Iran confrontation. Egypt’s Suez Canal is a critical chokepoint for global energy shipments and container traffic, and any disruption to its port infrastructure could have far-reaching implications for international trade.
Analysts warned that the Damietta strike signals Iran’s willingness to take the fight beyond the immediate Gulf theater. “This is a dangerous new phase. Targeting US-owned assets at a Mediterranean port in a neutral country changes the calculation for everyone,” said a Gulf security analyst who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The incident also places Egypt in a precarious position. Cairo maintains diplomatic relations with both Washington and Tehran and has sought to avoid being drawn into the confrontation. The strike on its sovereign port infrastructure may force the Egyptian government to take a more active stance.
The United States has not formally attributed the attack, but the Pentagon is assessing the drone’s origin. The strike follows a pattern of Iranian and Iran-backed forces targeting commercial and military vessels linked to the United States across multiple waterways in recent weeks, including the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea.
Oil prices edged higher on the news, adding to gains from earlier in the week as markets price in the growing geographic scope of the conflict. Brent crude traded above $98 per barrel in late Wednesday trading.