The maritime security firm Ambrey reported Wednesday evening that an LNG tanker flying the Bermuda flag, Greek-owned and operated, was struck by at least one drone while berthed at the Damietta port in Egypt. The attack caused a fire on the tanker's deck, according to Ambrey. The report follows earlier conflicting accounts of the incident, with Egyptian sources initially denying a drone strike.
The maritime security firm Ambrey confirmed Wednesday evening that a Greek-owned LNG tanker was struck by at least one drone while berthed at Egypt's Damietta port, causing a fire on deck. The vessel, flying a Bermuda flag, was moored alongside the Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Company facilities at the time of the attack. The confirmation comes after a series of conflicting reports that emerged earlier in the evening, with Egyptian security sources initially denying a drone strike and attributing the fire to an engine-room blaze on an older vessel.
Initial reports at 18:58 Jerusalem described a suspected drone attack on a U.S.-owned gas tanker, with an IRGC-affiliated channel claiming responsibility for the strike. Footage from the scene was circulated, and Iranian Telegram channels released purportedly showing the attack. Egyptian sources, however, denied the drone attack, telling the Saudi newspaper Al-Hadath that the fire was caused by an engine blaze on an old ship. The Zioneer reported at 19:59 Jerusalem that a U.S.-owned floating tanker had been damaged, citing initial regional channels. The Ambrey account now specifies a Greek-owned, Bermuda-flagged vessel, confirming the drone attack and clarifying the ownership.
The strike at Damietta broadens the theater of Iranian-linked maritime aggression beyond the Red Sea and the Strait of Hormuz. As The Zioneer noted in its Eye on Zion analysis at 20:13 Jerusalem, targeting energy infrastructure on Egypt's Mediterranean coast demonstrates an ability to strike beyond the Red Sea, coordinated with the IRGC-Houthi axis's economic warfare. The attack is the latest in a series of incidents targeting commercial shipping in the region, amid ongoing Iranian efforts to assert control over strategic waterways.
What remains open: the IRGC-affiliated channel's claim of responsibility has not been independently verified. No official confirmation from Egyptian or U.S. authorities has been reported. The extent of damage to the vessel and port facilities, and whether casualties occurred, also remain unconfirmed.
21 developments
- DevelopingHouthis reportedly attacked two Saudi oil tankers in Gulf of Aden, Israel Hayom says
- DevelopingHouthi fast attack boats strike oil tanker near the Gulf of Aden
- StrongIRGC claims fatal tanker attack, warns against US cooperation in Strait of Hormuz
- DevelopingOil tanker attacked by small boats off Yemen's Aden coast, report says
Source and signal
- Open-source intake