©Reuters. FILE PHOTO: The NGO Proactiva Open Arms Astral rescue vessel is seen through a porthole in the central Mediterranean Sea, August 22, 2022. REUTERS/Juan Medina/File Photo
By Stamos Prousalis and Yiannis Kourtoglou
LARNACA, Cyprus, March 12 (Reuters) – A ship carrying nearly 200 tonnes of food to Gaza left a port in Cyprus early on Tuesday morning as part of a pilot project to open a new sea route to help a population on the brink of famine.
The Open Arms charity vessel was seen sailing from the port of Larnaca, Cyprus, towing a barge containing flour, rice and protein.
The trip to Gaza takes about 15 hours, but a heavy towing barge could make the trip considerably longer, perhaps up to 2 days. Cyprus is located just over 200 miles (322 km) northwest of Gaza.
The mission, funded largely by the United Arab Emirates, is organized by US charity World Central Kitchen (WCK), while Spanish charity Proactiva Open Arms is providing the vessel.
“Our goal is to create a maritime highway of boats and barges stocked with millions of meals headed continuously to Gaza,” WCK founder Jose Andres and CEO Erin Gore said in a statement.
WCK says it has another 500 tonnes of aid to Cyprus ready for shipment.
The charities plan to bring aid directly to Gaza, which has been cut off from the outside world since Israel began its offensive in response to the October 7 attack on Israel by Hamas militants.
Given the lack of port infrastructure, WCK said it was creating a landing dock in Gaza with material from destroyed buildings and rubble. This is a separate initiative from one announced by the United States last week, which included building a temporary pier in the enclave to facilitate the delivery of aid by sea.
Tuesday’s mission, if successful, would effectively mark the first easing of Israel’s naval blockade imposed on Gaza in 2007, after Hamas took control of the Palestinian enclave.
With the humanitarian crisis in Gaza becoming increasingly desperate, international actors are scrambling to find alternative ways to deliver aid.
Cyprus said its maritime corridor offers a quick solution to get aid where it is needed. The cargoes will undergo security inspections in Cyprus by a team including Israeli personnel, eliminating the need for checks at the final unloading point to eliminate potential delays in aid deliveries.