The landing ship RFA Cardigan Bay of the British Royal Navy has sailed from Cyprus to provide support to the international operation to build a temporary floating jetty off the coast of Gaza for the fastest distribution of humanitarian aid.
As announced by the British Ministry of Defense, work on the pier has already begun by American soldiers and the British auxiliary ship will be used as floating accommodation for these hundreds of American soldiers.
In the first phase the jetty will allow the delivery of humanitarian aid loads from 90 trucks a day, a number that could be increased to 150, according to US estimates.
The tens of thousands of tons of this aid will be transported from Cyprus, where they will have already undergone checks.
UK Defense Secretary Grant Shapps said it was “crucial” to create more humanitarian corridors to the Gaza Strip. “The UK continues to take a leading role in providing support in coordination with the US and our international allies and partners,” he added.
He also praised the crew of the RFA Cardigan Bay as central to the British contribution to this international initiative.
British military experts in planning such operations have been involved in preparations for weeks, both at the US operations center in Tampa of Florida as well as in Cyprus. Their aim was to develop the most efficient and safe maritime humanitarian corridor to Gaza.
Also, the UK Hydrographic Office has worked with the Americans to analyze the morphology of the shores of Gaza.
Also, according to the BBC, there is an option on the table to deploy British soldiers inside the Gaza Strip to drive the trucks that will be landed with humanitarian aid – although no such decision has yet been made.
Source: CYPE
