Vessels carrying a second shipment of humanitarian aid to Gaza were given the “green light” to set sail from Larnaca port at 5 pm (local time) on Saturday, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Constantinos Kombos, told CNA.
This is the second aid shipment via the Cyprus Maritime Corridor “Amalthea” to Gaza. NGO “World Central Kitchen” is supporting the operation.
Open Arms, the ship that participated in the first shipment on March 11, is now accompanied by general cargo vessel Jennifer, tug boat Ledra Dynamic, and by floating platform ARIS.
The Minister said that 332 tons of humanitarian aid are being shipped. The cargo also contains machinery, including a crane to assist offloading as well as staff to operate the machinery.
Kombos noted that the duration of the trip for the second shipment is expected to take exactly as long as the first one, in order to reach its destination. He also said that preparations for the next shipment are already underway.
Asked about the estimated time for the completion of a floati
ng platform that is being constructed off Gaza shore, Kombos said that it may be completed sooner than initially anticipated.
NGO World Central Kitchen posted on X that the second maritime aid shipment set sail from Cyprus to Gaza ‘with hundreds of tons of food and machinery to expedite offloading.’ Aid includes shelf stable and ready-to-eat food, as well as a special delivery of dates provided by the UAE for Palestinians observing Ramadan, it is added.
Source: Cyprus News Agency
