The United States Army vessels tasked with establishing an offshore pier capability that allows for ship to shore humanitarian aid transfers to Gaza have arrived to the eastern Mediterranean and are awaiting orders to begin construction, according to Pentagon Press Secretary Pat Ryder.
The Vessels and Voyage
In early March, the United States Army General Frank S. Besson Jr.-class RoRo vessels USAV SP4 James A. Loux and USAV General Frank S. Besson Jr., along with the Runnymede-class large landing craft USAV Matamoros, USAV Monterrey, and USAV Wilson Wharf, departed Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia, to begin their voyage to the coast of Gaza.
Last week, the vessels arrived in Crete before positioning in the eastern Mediterranean near Gaza.
On March 9, 2024, U.S. Army Vessel (USAV) General Frank S. Besson (LSV-1) from the 7th Transportation Brigade (Expeditionary), 3rd Expeditionary Sustainment Command, XVIII Airborne Corps, departed Joint Base Langley-Eustis en route to the Eastern Mediterranean less than 36 hours… pic.twitter.com/X70uttuY9J
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) March 10, 2024
The Mission
According to the United States Central Command (CENTCOM), the vessels are tasked with establishing “a roll-on, roll-off dock capability that allows ship to shore humanitarian assistance to Gaza.”
The decision to deploy American forces to the region to build the pier was announced by President Joe Biden during the State of the Union Address on March 7, however, he emphasized that no American boots would be on the ground in Gaza.
The construction of the humanitarian pier, south of Gaza city, is advancing.
The construction includes two IDF military checkpoints and a truck loading lot. pic.twitter.com/Z69ZpWqXsc— Ben Tzion Macales (@BenTzionMacales) April 20, 2024
Construction activity to establish a jetty has been observed along the coast of southern Gaza city (Geo: 31.4969, 34.4081), which will be used to receive aid transferred from the American-built offshore pier.
Meanwhile, Western and Middle Eastern military forces continue to airdrop humanitarian aid into the strip amid growing reports of famine throughout the region.
