An aerial view of Damietta on Egypt's Mediterranean coast. AFPInfoAuthorities say fire is under control but stay silent on reports of a drone collisionThe NationalJuly 29, 2026A fire broke out at a port in Egypt on Wednesday, with damage reported at a gas terminal but authorities silent on claims of a drone collision. The fire affected two vessels at the port of Damietta in the Nile delta – a storage tanker and a vessel used to turn liquid fuel into gas.Egypt's Petroleum Ministry said the fire was under control, with no casualties reported. It gave no indication of what caused the fire. Petroleum Minister Karim Badawi was inspecting the site late on Wednesday. Kpler, an energy analytics firm, said the two vessels had been damaged and “operations disrupted” at Damietta, one of Egypt's main terminals for importing gas. It said both vessels were moved offshore as authorities assess the situation. Security company Ambrey said the US-owned storage tanker had been hit by a drone. Reuters, citing trading sources, reported the drone had hit the storage tanker Energos Winter, causing ​a fire that then spread to the second vessel, Gaslog Salem. The Energos Winter is a floating storage and regasification unit, owned by US company firm Energos ​Infrastructure. Its technical, safety and commercial operations ‌are managed by ⁠Wilhelmsen Ship Management, also a US ​company.Any drone collision in Egypt could signal a serious escalation of the Middle East war, but there was no official confirmation. The conflict has broadened in recent days as Yemen's Houthi rebels attacked Red Sea shipping before the US and Saudi Arabia carried out strikes on Iraq. The expansion followed a resumption of US and Iranian attacks across the Arabian Gulf, which ended at the weekend after 13 consecutive nights of strikes. Updated: July 29, 2026, 5:42 PM