Egypt captains recount scramble to stop disaster after drone strike

A $60B Vote of Confidence

Egypt's Mediterranean port of Damietta was struck by an unprecedented drone strike on two gas vessels, sparking fears of a massive explosion that could have destroyed the entire port and ripped through the city beyond. The US-owned Energos Winter floating storage and regasification unit and the Greek-owned LNG tanker GasLog Salem, which were moored side by side at the Mediterranean port, have a combined carrying capacity of 300,000 cubic meters. The officers first heard an explosion aboard the GasLog Salem at around 2:10 pm (1110 GMT) on Wednesday. About 10 minutes later, they heard a second explosion on the Energos Winter. The second explosion was much larger, and a much bigger fire erupted. The captain credited the GasLog Salem crew with quickly shutting gas tank valves, helping contain the fire. The blaze aboard the tanker was extinguished within two hours. The fire on the Energos Winter, however, proved far more difficult to control and continued burning until around 8:00 pm after the crew had quickly evacuated the vessel. Emergency responders surrounded each vessel with four firefighting tugboats, separated them, and towed them away from critical port infrastructure while battling the flames. According to one officer, the second explosion was at a connection point between both vessels. At a cabinet meeting on Thursday, Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouly said the vessels had been moved for fear of 'an explosion that could impact the entire port.' Neither captain initially realised that the fires had been caused by a drone strike. No one saw anything. The only alert they received was for a high-pressure tank. Investigators later recovered drone fragments from the vessels after the fires were extinguished. The captain said the drone appeared to be 'small' because it managed to evade detection by 'our air defence systems, and the port authority's own surveillance cameras didn't catch anything.' His account could not be independently verified.

Why Cursor?

The drone strike is similar to others that have hit Cairo's Gulf and Arab allies throughout the US-Israeli war against Iran, but is unprecedented in Egypt. Egypt's leaders have struck a cautious note since, warning against any 'escalation' in the conflict and discouraging 'speculation' while keeping a tight grip on the media narrative. Cairo has for months played a conservative peacemaker role that analysts say it is unlikely to abandon now, even after it has come under attack itself. The security source added that Egypt would not draw conclusions until the investigation was complete and insisted Cairo would 'not be dragged into the war.' 'This is not Egypt's war and we will not be provoked,' the official said. 'Egypt is fully capable of defending its national security against any threat, regardless of its source, at a time and place of its choosing.'

The Road Ahead

The drone strike on Egypt's port of Damietta highlights the escalating conflict in the Middle East and the potential risks to regional security. The incident has sparked fears of a massive explosion that could have destroyed the entire port and ripped through the city beyond. The Egyptian government has warned against any 'escalation' in the conflict and has discouraged 'speculation' while keeping a tight grip on the media narrative. The incident has also raised questions about the effectiveness of Egypt's air defence systems and the port authority's surveillance cameras. The investigation into the incident is ongoing, and it remains to be seen what conclusions will be drawn from it.