The US-owned floating storage and regasification unit Energos Winter took the direct hit while alongside on Wednesday. The impact started a fire that spread to the adjacent 155,000 cu m LNG carrier GasLog Salem, according to Egyptian officials and maritime security reporting.

Emergency teams extinguished the fires, with no casualties reported. Both vessels were moved offshore, where surveyors are examining the damage. Neither Egyptian authorities nor the owners have released a detailed structural assessment or indicated when the ships might return to service.   Initial reports placed the damage to Energos Winter on its starboard side. GasLog Salem was reportedly affected near its forward cargo-tank area, although it remains unclear whether the ship was struck separately or damaged by the spreading fire and debris.

No major LNG release has been reported. The absence of casualties and the successful removal of both ships suggest the emergency response prevented a considerably more serious incident.

The wider Damietta port remained operational, with unaffected berths reopening quickly. Operations at the LNG import hub were disrupted, however, and the status of the berth used by Energos Winter remains unclear. Kpler said both ships had been moved offshore while authorities assessed the situation.

The temporary loss of the FSRU reduces Egypt’s import flexibility during peak summer gas demand. Energos Winter is one of four floating regasification units supporting the country’s energy system, with the other three stationed at Ain Sokhna.

Egypt’s cabinet confirmed on Thursday ( 30 July) that preliminary investigations had established a drone as the cause. Components recovered from the aircraft are being examined, but Cairo has not publicly identified the attacker, and no organisation has claimed responsibility.

Behind the scenes, Egyptian officials initially blamed Iran and viewed the operation as an attempt to widen the conflict beyond the Gulf and Red Sea, according to the Wall Street Journal. The assessment points towards the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, although no drone type, launch position or flight path has been disclosed.

The timing supports suspicions of Iranian involvement. The attack followed renewed exchanges between Tehran and Washington and strikes against Iran-aligned groups in Iraq. The target also had strategic value: Energos Winter is American-owned and supports an energy corridor close to the northern entrance of the Suez Canal.

The Houthis denied initial suggestions that they were responsible, insisting their current maritime campaign is directed against Saudi Arabia. A direct launch from Yemen would also require a drone to cover around 2,000 km and cross or avoid several monitored air-defence zones.

An Iranian-linked operation could instead have used a closer launch site, a proxy organisation or a maritime platform. These remain possibilities rather than established findings, and forensic examination of the recovered components will be central to attribution.

The Damietta attack comes as Saudi Arabia builds a new coalition to protect the Red Sea. Fourteen countries, including Egypt, Turkey, Pakistan, Kuwait, Qatar, Sudan, Djibouti, Nigeria and Somalia, have backed the Riyadh-led initiative following a meeting attended by 43 states and the EU.

The proposed force will focus on intelligence sharing, joint operations, and protection of shipping across the Red Sea, Bab el-Mandeb, and the Gulf of Aden. Saudi Arabia has described the coalition as defensive, although its creation follows repeated Houthi attacks on Saudi-linked tankers and threats against the kingdom’s western oil-export route.