The U.S. military said on Friday it was temporarily pausing the offshore assembly of the floating pier in the vicinity of Gaza because of weather conditions.
The construction of a temporary humanitarian aid pier for Gaza will continue after the Army had to relocate the construction site due to forecasted high seas, according to a press release from U.S. Centcom.
“Forecasted high winds and high sea swells caused unsafe conditions for soldiers working on the surface of the partially constructed pier,” the U.S. military said in a statement.
The construction of the temporary pier has moved to the Israeli port of Ashdod, just over 18 miles northeast of the Gazan border.
Specifically, the partially built pier and military vessels involved in its construction have moved to the port of Ashdod, where assembly will continue, and will be completed prior to the emplacement of the pier in its intended location when sea states subside.
Once in place, the temporary pier in Gaza will allow for the delivery of additional humanitarian aid to Palestinian civilians in need.
This temporary pier, part of the U.S. military’s Joint Logistics Over-the-Shore (JLOTS) capability, enables the delivery of large quantities of humanitarian aid from ship to shore by truck, with vehicles driving directly off ships and across the temporary pier to a marshaling yard ashore.
Humanitarian aid will be offloaded in the shore facility before being transferred to humanitarian partners for onward distribution inside Gaza.
