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A floating platform to facilitate the transport of food aid to Gaza, facilitating flows from boats to land. It is the latest project undertaken by the US Army to intensify the delivery of goods to the Strip, in an initiative with an estimated cost of $320 million. This was reported by the Associated Press agency, after having viewed satellite images that capture the initiative in progress.
Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh told reporters that the cost estimate is approximate and includes transportation of equipment and pier sections from the United States to the coast of Gazaas well as the material development of the platform and final aid delivery operations.
Satellite photos analyzed by the Associated Press agency show the USNS Roy P. Benavidez vessel about eight kilometers from the port on land, where the Israeli army is setting up the project’s operational base. The USAV General Frank S. Besson Jr, an Army logistics vessel, is assisting the Benavidez in developing the so-called Joint Logistics Over-the-Shore, or JLOTS.
The US army plan and the passage from Cyprus
A satellite image taken April 28 by Planet Labs PBC showed pieces of the dock floating in the Mediterranean next to the Benavidez, a Bob Hope-class vehicle cargo ship operated by the Military Sealift Command. The measurements of the vessel correspond to the known characteristics of the vessel.
A U.S. military official confirmed that the Benavidez had begun construction and that it was far enough from shore to ensure the safety of troops working on the project. Singh said on April 29 that the next step will be the construction of the platform itself.