Two US Navy vessels ran aground in Ashdod this weekend while trying to retrieve a part of the JLOTS temporary pier that broke off due to the high winds and choppy waters of the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Gaza. A total of four ships were damaged.
Two US Navy ships ran aground on a beach in Ashdod. The tug boat was transporting the floating pier off of Gaza back to the port of Ashdod due to poor sea conditions when it got disconnected & beached here. LCM went in for rescue and also got beached pic.twitter.com/B6HU1B9nfa
— Jeremy Diamond (@JDiamond1) May 25, 2024
The $320 million floating pier was built by the US Navy to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid into Gaza via a maritime corridor between the enclave and Cyprus, where the aid is first inspected by Israeli security personnel.
⚡The American naval pier was swept away by strong waves, and a ship that attempted to rescue it became stuck. The US Navy eventually towed both the ship and the pier with considerable difficulty, resulting in damage to four additional ships. pic.twitter.com/fVk9lk81Ra
— MonitorX (@MonitorX99800) May 25, 2024
The first vessel ran aground while trying to retrieve the broken part. A second vessel then also ran aground while trying to retrieve the part. A third vessel also became involved, trying to free the ships that ran aground in the port city of Ashdod.
Additional footage shows the American pier in Gaza that has drifted away. https://t.co/Xy3NggyyAC pic.twitter.com/NqtoLOD5AF
— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) May 25, 2024
Israeli security forces were assisting in the effort to free the vessels. The pier is continuing to function, CENTCOM said.
Initially no injuries were reported, but it turns out three sailors were injured, one of them seriously. He is being treated in an Israeli hospital.
