The ship carries 200 tonnes of aid in a pilot project to open a sea route to deliver supplies to those impacted by the ongoing war in Gaza.
The charity ship Open Arms was seen leaving Larnaca port in Cyprus, pulling a barge containing wheat, rice, and protein.
A video showed the Spanish-flagged ship departing the Mediterranean island’s southern port of Larnaca. The mission was funded by the UAE and organised by the United States-based nonprofit World Central Kitchen (WCK).
The journey to Gaza takes about 15 hours and Cyprus is just over 320 km north-west of Gaza. Meanwhile, the US military said its vessel, General Frank S. Besson, was also on the way to provide humanitarian relief to Gaza by sea.
Earlier on Monday, Greek Cypriot media reported that the Open Arms had been delayed for no other reason than that there was nowhere to land the shipment.
According to Politis, which is a leading daily, “The delay is due to the fact that that a platform in Gaza is not yet ready to receive the 150 tonnes of humanitarian help that the vessel is transporting, according to the Cyprus news agency’s information.”
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