A fire broke out on Wednesday in two gas tankers at the Egyptian port of Damietta, amid security and trade reports indicating that the incident was caused by a drone attack, at a time when Egypt intensified its diplomatic contacts with the United States and Pakistan to discuss ways to reduce regional escalation.
Based on an initial assessment, Ambrey Maritime Security said a drone struck a US-owned gas tanker in the Mediterranean port of Damietta.
Inchcape Port Services reported that a fire broke out on two gas tankers inside the port. Three informed trade sources stated that a drone struck the floating storage vessel Energius Winter, causing a fire that later spread to the vessel Gaslog Salem.
Two separate security sources confirmed that the explosion was caused by a drone attack, while Ambrey stated that the crew members were evacuated and the fire was brought under control, noting that no one has claimed responsibility for the attack.
In contrast, the Egyptian Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources announced that a fire broke out in two gasification and storage vessels in Damietta port, without any injuries or human losses being recorded, without specifying the cause of the fire.
The ministry explained in a statement that the fire and insurance teams dealt with the incident immediately after it occurred, in accordance with emergency and rapid response plans, and that the competent technical authorities are continuing to complete the necessary procedures, calling on the media and social media users to rely on official data to obtain information related to the incident.
The incident comes amid escalating regional tensions, as the Egyptian Foreign Ministry announced that Foreign Minister Badr Abdel-Aty held two separate telephone conversations on Wednesday with US Middle East envoy Steve Wittkopf and Pakistani Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar.
According to the Egyptian Foreign Ministry, Abdel-Aty and Witkov stressed the importance of containing the escalation and avoiding the region sliding into a wider conflict, while Abdel-Aty and Isaac Dar emphasized the need to reduce the escalation, stop military operations, and prioritize political and diplomatic solutions to address regional crises.
Tags:
asiawest
