Offshore from Ras al-Bar, where the Nile flows into the Mediterranean, cargo ships shimmer through the midday haze as they head west along the coast toward the blue loading-cranes on the horizon.
It’s here, at the Egyptian port of Damietta, that the twin impacts of Russia’s war on Ukraine converge.
Damietta’s grain silos are witness to the shortages of shipments caused by blockades on Ukraine’s Black Sea coast. The port is also home to one of Egypt’s two liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals, facilities that have moved squarely into Europe’s sights as it races to replace Russian gas.