Three of the five army ships that left the US coast a month and a half ago are now off the coast of Israel and Gaza, to build the temporary floating pier. These include the USAV Matamoros and USAV Monterrey, both of which are Runnymede-class large landing craft, and the General Frank S. Besson, which is a slightly larger logistics support vessel (LSV.) They have been joined by several other larger US Navy ships, and the group of vessels is expected to grow. The UK said it is sending a vessel to help with the effort.
The US Pentagon press secretary Maj.-Gen. Patrick Ryder said on Thursday that the “US military vessels to include the USNS Benavidez have begun to construct the initial stages of the temporary pier and causeway at sea.”
CNN also reported that a senior military official confirmed that “we are on track to begin delivery of humanitarian assistance to Gaza from the sea in early May.” This could see 90 trucks per day disembark and eventually reach 150 trucks per day. This would ostensibly mean increasing the number of trucks entering Gaza by 50% and 25%, over the usual average of some 200-400 a day.
The coterie of ships is now on its way to complete the mission. Ryder made reference to a new ship that has joined the armada and is now off the coast of Gaza, according to vessel-tracking websites. The USNS Benavidez is a 290-meter Bob Hope-class roll-on-roll-off cargo ship. It left port in Newport News, Virginia, in the US on March 21. Several other vessels also left in March, destined for Gaza.
USNI News said that “Military Sealift Command ships Bobo and USNS 1st Lt. Baldomero Lopez (T-AK-3010)” departed from the US for Gaza. During the trip, the Bobo suffered an engine room fire in April and had to return to port. The Baldomero Lopez is a 204-meter ship that can carry cargo, gear, and equipment.
The Benavidez is part of the US Department of Transportation, US Maritime Administration’s (MARAD) Ready Reserve Fleet. It brought some of the components of the modular floating pier that is being built by the US Army’s 7th Transportation Brigade. The US Army is building the pier under its unique capability known as Joint Logistics-Over-the-Shore, or JLOTS.
“JLOTS is a critical capability that allows ship-to-shore cargo distribution in the absence of a usable pier,” US Army Lt.-Gen. John P. Sullivan, deputy commander of US Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM), has said. “It can be used to augment an established port or to create a pier where one is needed, and allows us to support areas where large populations are isolated from food, water, and other forms of humanitarian aid.”
A number of the ships that were destined for this project appear to have stopped along the way or returned to the US. The USAV James Loux appears to still be in Crete and USAV Wilson's Wharf is off the coast of Africa. The Wilson’s Wharf is a 53-meter Runnymede-class large landing craft. The James Loux is an 83-meter logistics support vessel, similar to the Frank Besson ship, which is off the coast of Gaza. The US Navy ship John Bobo returned to the US.
The UK's Defence Ministry said that a Royal Navy ship is also joining the international effort to build the pier for aid delivery to Gaza. The RFA Cardigan Bay is a large 176-meter Royal Fleet Auxilary (RFA) landing ship. A report noted that it is supposed to provide accommodation for personnel building the pier, among other things. The UK Hydrographic Office has also shared analyses of the Gazan shore with US planners to develop the pier, the UK Defence Ministry said.
UK Defence Secretary Grant Shapps said, “It is critical we establish more routes for vital humanitarian aid to reach the people of Gaza, and the UK continues to take a leading role in the delivery of support in coordination with the US and our international allies and partners. The crew of RFA Cardigan Bay are central to the UK’s contribution to the multinational plan to greatly expand the flow of aid into Gaza.” He also noted that “this will complement the priority of getting more aid in via land routes and Ashdod port in Israel, by enabling tens of thousands of tonnes to be delivered directly from the sea onto the beach.”
A massive aid mission for Gaza
As more ships arrive, the sheer size of this mission is becoming clear. In addition, 400 tons of aid were shipped from Cyprus this week, destined for Ashdod and northern Gaza. This is a shipment that is taking place almost a month after the temporary maritime corridor to Gaza from Cyprus was suspended after seven personnel from the World Central Kitchen (WCK) charity were killed in an Israeli airstrike. The UAE had been backing WCK in this effort from Cyprus and a Spanish ship called Open Arms, named after a charity group of the same name, was involved. Open Arms appears to have remained in Cyprus for a month now.
According to CNN, the UAE is now partnering with the American Near East Refugee Aid (ANERA) and a ship called Jennifer. It departed Larnaca in Cyprus and is on its way to Ashdod, carrying 400 tons of food. ANERA’s emergency response team is led in the West Bank by Mohenad Itayam, who spoke to CNN about the mission. The WCK shipment, backed by the UK, had some 300 tons of food but had turned back in April after the killing of the workers.
“The plan is for most of the food aid to be delivered to northern Gaza, but Itayam said that depending on the security situation, ANERA might consider sending a shipment to the south as well,” CNN noted. “At present, the UAE has delivered more than 31,000 tons of urgent supplies, including food, relief and medical items, dispatched through 249 flights, 38 airdrops, 1,160 trucks, and three ships,” a UAE official told CNN.