ALBAWABA - A drone strike hit a U.S. ship at Damietta port city in Egypt, causing two ships for the processing and storage of gas to catch fire. The Egyptian Prime Ministry confirmed the strike but hasn’t declared its source of origin.
“The situation was handled immediately in accordance with emergency and rapid response plans,” the ministry stated without identifying the cause of the blaze.
Maritime shipping service Inchscape stated earlier that a blast occurred at the liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal of the Damietta port; while Reuters, citing British maritime security company Ambrey, reported that a U.S. floating oil storage tanker named Energos Winter had been hit.
No one has claimed responsibility for the attack though Iran’s involvement is highly suspected as the drone struck the ship shortly after Iran carried out strikes on U.S. bases in Jordan.
Egyptian authorities further stated that the fire was put out swiftly and no casualties or injuries had been reported from the attack.
The attack marks the first time Egypt has been targeted with drone strikes since the start of the latest Middle East conflict between the U.S. and Iran.
