Egypt acted quickly to contain Damietta Port incident
Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly said that all state institutions responded immediately to the incident at Damietta Port, taking rapid measures to contain the situation and limit its impact.
In press remarks after the weekly Cabinet meeting, Madbouly said that he was informed by Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources Karim Badawi at around 2:20 pm on Wednesday that a fire had broken out on two vessels at the port.
He said the government promptly activated emergency procedures and coordinated the response across the relevant authorities.
Madbouly added that Egypt has a comprehensive energy security system that includes four floating energy vessels. Three are stationed at Ain Sokhna Port, while the fourth is based at Damietta Port to help secure the country’s energy supplies.
He explained that after being notified of a fire aboard two ships at Damietta Port, state bodies immediately mobilized integrated crisis management protocols.
Madbouly stated that the targeted regasification ship represents a high-risk facility containing pressurized natural gas, warning that an unmanaged explosion could have devastated the port and surrounding areas.
He highlighted that the adjacent storage vessel sustained no damage, while the regasification ship suffered limited negative impacts.
Ministers of transport and petroleum directed on-site operations, decoupling the two vessels and evacuating crews as a necessary security procedure due to the large quantities of LNG aboard.
Four Egyptian tugboats towed the regasification vessel over three and a half kilometers offshore to mitigate potential explosion risks, while operations at Damietta Port continued normally with 15 cargo ships moving through the harbor.
Firefighting operations lasted 12 hours, utilizing chemical agents, aircraft, and drones to contain the fire, which was fully extinguished by early morning.
Madbouly assured citizens that the national energy grid remains unaffected, as emergency plans immediately shifted power generation to mazut and diesel while repair assessments are underway.
He added that Egypt has secured strategic alternatives, including activating an emergency regasification vessel docked in Aqaba in coordination with Jordanian authorities.
Security teams boarded the ship early Thursday, confirming the drone attack after discovering debris that is currently undergoing technical analysis to pinpoint its launch site.
MENA
