Biden's Costly Failed Floating Gaza Pier to Be Scrapped For Good
© AP Photo / Leo Correa
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Worth an estimated $230 million, the floating pier project was conceived by the Pentagon as a “stopgap measure” before Israel opened land routes for aid to the beleaguered Gaza Strip. The construction meant to offer a “humanitarian cover” for Biden’s support of Israel in its war on Hamas turned out to be too fragile to handle rough seas.
The giant US floating pier off the Gaza shore that was once touted as a magnanimous humanitarian gesture is about to become history.
After being out of service most of the time anyway, battered by inclement weather due to original miscalculations, it will now be shut down, said US officials.
“I do anticipate that in relatively short order we will wind down pier operations,” US national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters.
The Gaza Pier: Biden’s humanitarian show-off that failed
— Sputnik (@SputnikInt) June 19, 2024
Touted as a symbol of American generosity in President Biden’s State of the Union address, the American floating pier off the Gaza shore is out of service most of the time and fails to replace land routes as a way to… pic.twitter.com/okgE2XujPM
Conceived as a way to supplement aid to the starving population of Gaza, the Trident pier took over two months, 1,000 US troops, and multiple US Navy vessels to construct as part of the Joint Logistics Over-the-Shore (JLOTS) facility. The floating dock was deployed at sea, while a corresponding pier was attached to the Gaza coast.
The 370-meter-long floating pier, despite being operational since May 17, was only functional for 12 days, sending through about 250 truckloads of humanitarian aid. The maritime corridor was not only vulnerable to the elements, but plagued by poor security and aid distribution problems.
After being damaged by rough seas, the pier was removed by the military for repairs on more than one occasion. After the latest failed attempt to reattach the pier, the decision was taken to abandon the project.
“The pier has always been intended as a temporary solution to enable the additional flow of aid into Gaza during a period of dire humanitarian need … the pier will soon cease operations,” Pentagon spokesperson Air Force Major General Patrick Ryder said.
The image provided by U.S, Central Command, shows U.S. Army soldiers assigned to the 7th Transportation Brigade (Expeditionary), U.S. Navy sailors assigned to Amphibious Construction Battalion 1, and Israel Defense Forces placing the Trident Pier on the coast of Gaza Strip on Thursday, May 16, 2024.
Biden displayed acute disappointment that his humanitarian show-off had flopped, saying at the NATO summit in washington:
"I’ve been disappointed that some of the things that I’ve put forward have not succeeded as well, like the port we attached from Cyprus. I was hopeful that would be more successful.”
US officials have suggested that humanitarian operations meant for the pier could shift to the Israeli port of Ashdod.
