The pier has been usable for just 12 days since it began operations on 17 May. On most of those days the assistance arriving by sea has had to be left on the beach as there have been no trucks to distribute it to warehouses in Gaza, because of lack of security.

Over the entire course of the pier’s operation so far, however, only about 250 truckloads of food and other humanitarian assistance (4,100 tonnes) have arrived by the planned maritime corridor, less than half of what would cross into Gaza in a single day before the war. Much of the aid that has arrived so far is stuck at the foot of the pier on a marshalling yard established on the beach.

The seas in the eastern Mediterranean have been choppier than expected and the pier (known by the US military as the Joint Logistics Over-the-Shore, JLOTS) has been less robust than the Pentagon planners predicted. The JLOTS floating structure is designed to work in conditions up to “sea state 3”, defined by waves of 0.5 to 1.25 metres. It was hoped it would endure through the spring and summer until September, but it was badly damaged in a storm on 25 May, and the sea has been unseasonably choppy since then.

It was put back in place on Wednesday and since then has been used to offload about 4,160 tonnes of aid, but there have been reports that, because of its vulnerability to weather and high seas, it could be dismantled once and for all ahead of schedule, as early as next month.

“They just miscalculated,” Stephen Morrison, a senior vice-president at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said. “They didn’t fully understand what was going to happen with the weather … So the DoD [Department of Defence] walks away, humiliated in a fashion.”

  • saltesc@lemmy.world
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    6 months ago

    It’s hard to tell if it was/is logistically effective vs. everyone shitting in it because that’s trendy rn.

    With knowing absolutely nothing, I can only assume it’s an excellent concept that will (unfortunately) help a lot in a broad range of situations.

    At the moment, plenty of creases to iron out, but it’s not a failure and humanitarian aid can definitely bolster with it.

    • Drag it thru daGarden@midwest.social
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      6 months ago

      People were shitting on this pier idea well before it was built. It has been the military equivalent of “thoughts & prayers.” All while at the same time giving the opposing force bombs to continue their assault on civilians. Gaza has been a humanitarian disaster

    • Linkerbaan@lemmy.world
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      6 months ago

      It was an absolute disaster as had been predicted from the very start. Even the aid that was delivered through the pier was just blocked by israel from entering the rest of Gaza.