April 30, 2024 (EIRNS)—Sabrina Singh, deputy Pentagon spokeswoman, told reporters yesterday that construction is underway on the temporary pier that President Joe Biden ordered to be built off the coast of Gaza. She also revealed that the overall cost of the project will be at least $320 million, which she called a rough estimate and which includes the transportation of the equipment and pier sections from the U.S. to the Gaza coast, as well as the construction and aid delivery operations.
Satellite photos analyzed on April 29 by Associated Press show the USNS Roy P. Benavidez about 8 km from the port on shore, where the base of operations for the project is being built by the Israeli military. The USAV General Frank S. Besson Jr., an Army logistics vessel, and several other Army boats are with the Benavidez and working on the construction of what the military calls the Joint Logistics Over-the-Shore, or JLOTS, system.
A satellite image from April 28 by Planet Labs PBC showed pieces of the floating pier in the Mediterranean Sea alongside the Benavidez. Measurements of the vessel match known features of the Benavidez, a cargo ship operated by the Military Sealift Command. A U.S. military official confirmed late last week that the Benavidez had begun construction and that it was far enough off shore to ensure that troops building the platform would be safe. Singh said on April 29 that next will come the construction of the causeway, which will then be anchored to the beach.
