Explosion hits Energos Winter FSRU and GasLog Salem at Egypt's Damietta LNG terminal

An explosion at Egypt's Damietta port has hit the Energos Winter floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU) and the Gaslog Salem floating storage unit (FSU), Kpler confirmed, disrupting operations at a key LNG import hub just days before the GasLog vessel was due to begin service.

‍

Kpler confirmed that both vessels sustained damage in the incident. The extent of the damage and the impact on commissioning of the FSU and the terminal’s operations have not yet been disclosed.

Kpler data shows that both vessels were moved out of the terminal several hours ago and are now idling offshore Damietta in the Mediterranean Sea.

Kpler could not confirm further details of the incident. Neither Egyptian authorities nor the operators of the vessels have yet released details on the cause of the explosion, whether there were any injuries, or the expected timeline for repairs and the resumption of normal operations.

‍

The LNG tanker Gaslog Salem, owned by Bermuda-based Gaslog, which had recently arrived in Egypt, was scheduled to commence operations as a floating storage unit on Aug. 1 under a short-term deal woth Egypt's state-owned Egas, supporting Egypt's efforts to expand LNG import capacity ahead of peak summer gas demand.

The Energos Winter FSRU, owned and operated by US-headquartered Energos Infrastructure, is currently deployed as an FSRU at Damietta, where it regasifies imported LNG for delivery into Egypt's domestic gas network. Damage to the vessel could affect the terminal's ability to process LNG imports, depending on the severity of the incident.

In addition to Energos Winter and Gaslog Salem, the Hl Fortuna, an LNG tanker laden with 162.500 m3 of LNG, is seen sailing away from Damietta, where it was set to discharge today, Kpler data show.

‍