President Joe Biden's humanitarian pier off of Gaza is out of commission and needs at least $22 million worth of repairs to return to service, Pentagon officials said this week.
The U.S. military-run project to deliver aid to the war-torn enclave was torn apart late last month after just one week in operation when it was struck by rough waves. The structure will require between $22 million and $28 million in repairs, two Pentagon officials told the Washington Post.
The humanitarian pier project, which Biden announced during his State of the Union address in March, has faced setbacks and disasters since its delayed installation last month. Days after the Army installed the pier, Pentagon spokesman Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said no aid had reached the Gazan population because shipments were "intercepted by some people who took that aid off those vehicles." Before the pier was damaged, three U.S. service members were injured, one critically, in a forklift accident.
The pier was built to accommodate the transfer of 150 truckloads of aid to Gaza daily.
While the repairs have put on pause the operation of the pier and will cost millions of dollars, the Pentagon announced this week that it anticipates "significant savings" in costs for the mission. Biden’s plan was initially projected to cost approximately $320 million, but Pentagon officials now estimate a cost of $230 million, including repair costs, due to unanticipated savings on transport contracting costs. Deputy press secretary Sabrina Singh noted that the project could incur a higher price should more extensive repairs become necessary in the future.