The United States Department of Defense (DoD) on March 20 announced that three SIU-crewed vessels are slated to play key roles in a mission that ultimately aims to facilitate delivery of humanitarian aid shipments to Gaza following the construction of a temporary pier off the coast. The construction is expected to take around 60 days to complete.
According to the DoD, the Seafarers-crewed vessels that will be involved in the operation are the Crowley-operated prepositioning ships 2nd Lt. John P. Bobo and 1st Lt. Baldomero Lopez, and the Ocean Duchess-operated surge-sealift vessel USNS Roy P. Benavidez.
In an online article, the Pentagon reported that the “forces and equipment used to construct the roll-on, roll-off discharge facility and provide sustained operational support will be transported into theater aboard three ships (the aforementioned SIU-crewed vessels).… Once in theater, the sailors will begin construction of the floating dock from modular sections…. Approximately 260 sailors are slated to deploy as part of the operation. Their skillsets range from ship handling and deck operations to construction and communications.”
The news release continued, “Sailors from Naval Beach Group 1 have been tasked with constructing a large floating dock known as a roll-on, roll-off discharge facility as part of the Joint Logistics Over-the- Shore, or JLOTS, mission being led by the Army’s 7th Transportation Brigade from Joint Base Langley- Eustis, Virginia. Naval Beach Group 1 is based at Naval Amphibious Base Coronado, California. The roll-on, roll-off discharge facility, which measures 72 feet wide by 270 feet long, will remain approximately three miles off Gaza’s shore and enable cargo ships to offload aid shipments at sea prior to being transported to shore.
“Once offloaded, cargo will be transported to shore along an approximately 1,800-foot causeway comprising modular sections linked together, known as a Trident Pier, that will be constructed by the Army unit,” the article added. “The Navy will operate causeway ferries to transport the cargo from the discharge facility to the Army’s floating pier. The two units undertaking the mission have trained extensively in delivering the capability in a variety of environments around the globe.”
For example, Army and Navy personnel last year teamed up to install and help utilize the discharge facility and causeway off Australia’s coast in support of a large-scale multinational exercise.
The Pentagon further reported that, once operational, the temporary pier near Gaza should be able to handle upwards of two million humanitarian aid meals each day.
Four Army vessels deployed to the region last month, following a directive by President Biden to carry out the emergency mission. They are the Monterrey, Matamoros, SP4 James A. Loux and Wilson Wharf.
American military officials emphasized that there will be “no U.S. boots on the ground in Gaza as part of the operation,” and they added that our nation is running a steady succession of humanitarian assistance airdrops into Gaza while the pier construction begins.
###
Comments are closed.