URGENT: Egypt’s Damietta LNG regasification vessel unharmed after fire – PM

Egypt’s floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU) at Damietta Port was not damaged by this week’s fire, which was confined to a service vessel, Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouly said on Thursday.

“The regasification vessel is completely safe, and the damage was limited to the service vessel,” Madbouly told a press conference.

He said emergency teams quickly contained the fire, preventing it from spreading to the FSRU, which receives liquefied natural gas (LNG) cargoes, converts them into natural gas and feeds supplies into Egypt’s national gas grid.

Madbouly said the FSRU stores gas under high pressure and that any damage to the vessel could have posed significant risks to the port and surrounding area.

He said Petroleum and Mineral Resources Minister Karim Badawy, Deputy Prime Minister for Industrial Development and Minister of Industry and Transport Kamel Al-Wazir, security authorities, and other government agencies coordinated the emergency response to contain the fire and secure the site.

Earlier on Thursday, Egyptian authorities said preliminary investigations had found that a drone caused the fire aboard two vessels at Damietta Port on 29 July. Investigations are continuing, and no group has claimed responsibility.

The government has said port operations, including vessel traffic, cargo handling and logistics services, have since returned to normal.

Attribution: Amwal Al Ghad English