Egypt refloats drone-damaged LNG FSRU after 14-hour operation

Egypt's Damietta Port Authority has refloated the Energos Winter, an LNG floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU), following a 14-hour salvage operation. The vessel was damaged by a drone strike on July 29, which caused an explosion and fire that spread to the nearby LNG carrier GasLog Salem. Both fires were brought under control with no reported casualties.

The incident occurred as Energos Winter left its berth in Damietta’s inner harbour around 14:00 on the day of the attack. The Marshall Islands-flagged vessel later ran aground outside the port's entrance channel, necessitating the salvage operation by SMIT Salvage. Six tugs were employed to refloat the FSRU, with a combined nominal bollard pull of 360 tonnes.

Salvage Operation Details

The first attempt involved four tugs: Fahmy (70-tonne), Hedaya, Saleh and Suleiman (all 60-tonnes). These were unable to fully free the vessel from the seabed due to rough sea conditions. Capt Yasser Abdel Latif Ahmed and senior port pilots boarded Energos Winter to assist in coordinating efforts.

Adding two more tugs—Hamza (60-tonne) and Abu Zeid (50-tonne)—increased the bollard pull to 360 tonnes. The salvage team changed their approach, pulling Energos Winter astern at a right angle to the navigation channel. By keeping the bow pointed north, they prevented the vessel from moving into shallow water. This strategy proved effective, successfully freeing the FSRU from the seabed.

The refloated Energos Winter was then towed for about five hours to an anchorage 10 nautical miles from Damietta. The operation concluded around 22:00 on August 6 after 14 hours of work.

According to Marine Insight, the drone attack on Energos Winter highlights growing security challenges in maritime operations, particularly for LNG FSRUs which are strategic assets in global energy supply chains. This incident underscores the need for enhanced cybersecurity measures and robust contingency plans to ensure vessel safety and operational continuity.