Cost of Gaza pier 'lower than expected’: Pentagon

By Diyar Guldogan

WASHINGTON (AA) - The Pentagon said Wednesday that the cost of its temporary humanitarian aid pier mission in Gaza is about $90 million lower than the original estimate when the mission was first announced in early March.

"When we first announced this humanitarian maritime corridor, we estimated that the cost was approximately $320 million.

"However, lower-than-expected costs for contracted trucks, drivers and commercial vessels, and the UK's contribution of a berthing vessel for our soldiers and sailors have lowered our cost — our latest cost assessment to approximately $230 million," spokeswoman Sabrina Singh told reporters.

While assessments are ongoing, Singh said this estimate does include some of the costs associated with the repairs and rebuilding of the pier.

She added that these are estimates and initial assessments, and the cost could fluctuate depending on the length of the mission and future costs.

Pier repairs are currently ongoing in the Israeli coastal city of Ashdod after rough seas caused motorized sections to run aground last month.

"We're hoping that we will be able to re-anchor the pier into Gaza later at the end of the week," Singh said.

Asked about the timing of aid flow, she said: "As soon as the temporary pier is re-anchored to the beach of — in Gaza, we expect aid to flow pretty immediately."

US President Joe Biden ordered the establishment of a sea route to deliver food and other aid to Palestinians on March 8 amid Israeli restrictions and months of conflict in the enclave.​​​​​​​

The JLOTS (Joint Logistics Over-the-Shore) -- the floating pier and the Trident pier -- became operational on May 17 when trucks carrying humanitarian assistance began moving ashore via the pier.