The temporary dock built by the US military to transport humanitarian aid to Gaza was damaged by rough seas, Pentagon Deputy Spokesperson Sabrina Singh said during the Press Briefing.
"US Army engineers are working to reassemble the dock and estimate it will be operational again in about a week," Ms. Singh said.
According to the New York Times, US Defense Department officials had anticipated that there would be logistical and security issues. In fact, the newspaper recalls that "in the first days after the opening of the dock on May 17, the trucks were looted as they headed for the warehouses, forcing the UN World Food Program to suspend its operations."
Since then, he adds, officials have stepped up security, but the weather has worsened. Pentagon estimates said weather would affect dock operations beyond the summer months, but the weather worsened.
Last Sunday, the paper continued, part of the dock was completely detached, including a wider parking area to accommodate supplies being shipped in, Pentagon officials said.
“This part that was disassembled should be reattached. The dock was removed from the shores of Gaza to be transported to Ashdod, in southern Israel, for repairs," Deputy Pentagon Spokesperson Sabrina Singh said.
Ms Singh said "the fact that the dock, which cost $320 million, was able to transport 1.000 tonnes of aid to Gaza before it was damaged shows that it can work".
Source: KYPE