Fire at Egypt's Damietta port caused by drone attack: PM's office
· CNA · JoinRead a summary of this article on FAST.
Get bite-sized news via a new
cards interface. Give it a try.
Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FAST
FAST
CAIRO: The Egyptian government said on Thursday (Jul 30) that a fire the day before at the port of Damietta was caused by a drone attack, the first to target the country since the outbreak of the Middle East war.
Authorities had reported two gas ships were damaged by Wednesday's blaze, which private security monitor UK-based Ambrey said started with a drone attack on a US-owned-and-operated LNG floating storage vessel.
While energy facilities elsewhere in the region have been hit by drones and missiles over the course of the United States and Israel's war on Iran, Egypt had so far been spared.
The cabinet said that a preliminary investigation into the incident determined "it resulted from a drone", noting no one had claimed responsibility.
CNA Games
Guess Word
Crack the word, one row at a time
Buzzword
Create words using the given letters
Mini Sudoku
Tiny puzzle, mighty brain teaser
Mini Crossword
Small grid, big challenge
Word Search
Spot as many words as you can
Show More
Show Less
It added that the inquiry was ongoing "to determine the circumstances of the incident and to take the necessary measures to preserve Egypt's interests and national security".
The port authority said in a statement that operations were ongoing as normal despite the attack.
Keplr identified the damaged ships as the Energos Winter storage and regasification vessel and the GasLog Salem tanker, saying they had been moved offshore after the incident.
A private security monitor, UK-based Ambrey, reported that the US-owned-and-operated floating storage vessel was hit by at least one unidentified drone, with a second ship catching fire "in connection with the incident".
The former head of the Damietta Port Authority, Major General Ayman Salah, told AFP on Wednesday that the regasification ship was moored next to the LNG tanker in the harbour.
"The regasification process takes place under very high pressure," he said, explaining that any leak could lead to a fire.
Wednesday's attack took place as the United States and Iran returned to hostilities following a brief lull in fighting aimed at reviving negotiations.
Iran fired a salvo of missiles at US assets in Jordan, while Washington retaliated with a "heavy wave of strikes" on the Islamic republic.
Sign up for our newsletters
Get our pick of top stories and thought-provoking articles in your inbox
Get the CNA app
Stay updated with notifications for breaking news and our best stories
Get WhatsApp alerts
Join our channel for the top reads for the day on your preferred chat app