The Pentagon confirmed that the $320 million floating pier delivered to Gaza by President Biden broke apart due to weather and had to be dismantled for repair.
Several sections detached from the pier and washed ashore due to loss of power from high seas and wind.
The Israeli Navy helped recover some of the detached sections, while soldiers were able to remain on board.
Another section broke off the anchored portion in Gaza on Tuesday, further damaging the pier.
The entirety will have to be removed, repaired for over a week, and reattached.
While over 1,000 tons of aid was delivered, three service members suffered non-combat injuries assisting with the pier mission.
The Pentagon believes the pier can be reattached within a week once weather permits and resume operations, but acknowledged further adjustments may be needed if conditions hinder its operation again.
“Therefore, over the next 48 hours, the Trident Pier will be removed from its anchored position on the coast and towed back to Ashdod, where U.S. Central Command will conduct repairs. The rebuilding and repairing of the pier will take at least over a week and will — and following completion, will need to be re-anchored to the coast of Gaza,” Singh said.
“To date, over 1,000 metric tons have been delivered from the pier to the marshaling area for onward delivery by humanitarian organizations and into the hands of Palestinians,” she said.
“Look, I can’t predict the weather, but we believe that given the time of year, we will be able to re-anchor this pier and it will be able to be operational, and hopefully, weather conditions won’t hinder it anymore. But we always make assessments based on, you know, environmental factors, and if we need to, you know, adjust, we will. But we hope that it’ll be fully operational with just a little over a week,” she said.
