U.S. Army soldiers and sailors attached to the MV Roy P. Benavidez assemble the roll-on, roll-off pier off the coast of Gaza, April 26, 2024. U.S. Army photo
Despite weather-related challenges, the U.S. Department of Defense is pressing forward with its initiative to construct a temporary pier for delivering humanitarian aid to Gaza, as confirmed by Pentagon Press Secretary Air Force Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder.
Last Friday, the U.S. Central Command disclosed that the construction site for the pier, part of the U.S. military's Joint Logistics Over-the-Shore mission, had been relocated to the Israeli Port of Ashdod, positioned 18 miles northeast of the Gazan border.
Ryder affirmed today that construction is ongoing, acknowledging potential impacts from weather and security concerns. Despite these factors, the units tasked with the mission are persistently working on constructing the pier near the Port of Ashdod.
Construction commenced last month and is being carried out by soldiers from the Army’s 7th Transportation Brigade and sailors from Naval Beach Group 1.
The operation entails assembling a roughly 1,800-foot causeway, referred to as a Trident pier, from modular sections. Additionally, teams are developing a roll-on, roll-off dock to facilitate aid shipments' offloading at sea. Approximately 1,000 soldiers and sailors are participating in this operation.
Pentagon officials reported last week that construction progress was slightly over halfway completed. The floating pier has been fully assembled and established, while work on the causeway remains ongoing.
The decision to relocate the project to the Port of Ashdod last Thursday was prompted by forecasts of high winds and sea swells.
Ryder stated, "Senior leaders managing this project can always make the call whether or not to speed things up or slow things down based on conditions. And so, we’re always going to pay attention to the safety of the soldiers that are constructing this — whether it be weather or [the] security situation. But as I said, all indications are that we’re moving forward.”
President Joe Biden unveiled plans for the pier during his State of the Union address on March 7. Initially projected to take 60 days to complete, the facility is expected to enable the daily delivery of 90 truckloads of international aid into Gaza, with the potential to increase to 150 truckloads a day at full capacity.
The latest update on the pier coincides with Israel's launch of a military operation in Rafah on Monday, situated in southern Gaza along the border with Egypt. Notably, this offensive operation lacks U.S. support.
Additionally, the Houthi terrorist group in Yemen has issued threats to escalate attacks on shipping if Israel conducts a military operation in Rafah.
