The U.S. Dept. of Defense announced it has passed the halfway mark on construction of a temporary floating pier structure in the Mediterranean Sea near the Gaza Strip. The structure, made of prefabricated components, will eventually be floated to the coast where it will be used to deliver humanitarian aid to civilians in the conflict in Gaza.
First announced by President Joe Biden in his State of the Union address in March, construction of the pier began last week and is expected to be completed in the coming weeks.
Photo Courtesy U.S. Dept. of Defense
It is being built by elements of the U.S. Army and U.S. Navy, using the Defense Dept.’s Joint Logistics Over-the-Shore (JLOTS) capability, the Pentagon said.
Once the floating cargo pier—also known as a trident pier—and its attached causeway are complete it will be used for the delivery of aid from USAID. U.S. forces are also constructing a 72-ft x 270-ft floating platform roughly three miles off the coast to be used for roll-on/roll-off deliveries of cargo to be prepared for transport to the floating pier.
Jeff Rubenstone is Deputy Editor for News and Technology at the Engineering News-Record. As news director of ENR he oversees the publication’s news coverage, and also covers emerging technologies and innovations in the construction space. With well over a decade of experience reporting on the industry, Jeff has a broad background in engineering and construction journalism. He is based in New York City.
