The Spanish ship ‘Open Arms’ will depart this Sunday afternoon from the Cypriot port of Larnaca heading to the Gaza Strip with some 150 tons of humanitarian aid, as reported by the Cypriot authorities.
The Cypriot president, Nikos Christodoulides, has explained that the time depends on the final approval of the Israeli authorities, who verify the ship’s cargo, as well as issues related to security.
Christodoulides highlighted that they have already received several calls from heads of state and government of other countries to express their desire to participate in the humanitarian corridor initiative. The president highlighted that Cyprus, as a member of the EU, has “excellent relations” with all neighboring countries that allow it to contribute to this situation.
“I believe that (the maritime humanitarian corridor) demonstrates that our country can be a pillar of security and stability in the Eastern Mediterranean region, a region of particular geostrategic importance, always with modesty and humility,” he indicated in statements collected by the Cypriot news agency CNA.
The ‘Open Arms’ trip is the first of the so-called Operation Amalthea that aims to establish a maritime humanitarian corridor between Cyprus and the Palestinian enclave. Amalthea, which means Tenderness, is the name of the wet nurse of the god Zeus in Greek mythology.
The route from Cyprus to Gaza is about 210 nautical miles (about 388 kilometers), a distance that takes about 25 hours to travel under normal conditions. The ‘Open Arms’ is expected to take around 50 hours on the journey.
The humanitarian vessel will also tow the MMS Aris cargo platform and will have the support of the US military ship ‘USS Gen. Frank S. Besson’ LSV-1, which departed from Virginia to reinforce the humanitarian aid delivery campaign to the Strip. Loop.
The ship is specialized in logistical support to operate far from land bases and transports material for the construction of a temporary dock to facilitate the landing of humanitarian aid to Gaza.
On Friday, the UN Secretary General, António Guterres, confirmed through his spokesperson, Stefan Dujarric, that the coordinator for humanitarian aid and reconstruction of Gaza, Sigrid Kaag, is already working with Cyprus to launch the humanitarian corridor.
