The Bob Hope-class MV Roy P. Benavidez (T-AKR 306), a large, medium speed roll-on, roll-off ship, departed its pier in Newport News, Virginia, March 21, 2024. Photo courtesy U.S. Navy
The U.S. Maritime Administration’s (MARAD) Ready Reserve Fleet vessel, MV Roy P. Benavidez, set sail on Wednesday on a mission to construct a temporary pier to faclitate the delivery of humanitarian aid into Gaza.
The large, medium speed roll-on, roll-off ship departed its homeport in Newport News, Virginia, carrying essential equipment and materials for the pier system. The ship will make a pit stop to refuel before it embarks on the mission to the Mediterranean Sea.
The Roy P. Benavidez is tasked with transporting components for a floating modular pier system for delivery to the U.S. Army’s 7th Transportation Brigade, which is leading the assembly of the temporary pier.
In military speak, this capability is known as Joint Logistics-Over-the-Shore, or JLOTS.
“JLOTS is a critical capability that allows ship-to-shore cargo distribution in the absence of a usable pier,” said Army Lt. Gen. John P. Sullivan, deputy commander, U.S. Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM). “It can be used to augment an established port or to create a pier where one is needed and allows us to support areas where large populations are isolated from food, water, and other forms of humanitarian aid.”
The pier system will consist of a temporary floating dock, measuring 72 feet wide by 270 feet long, set to be built three miles off Gaza’s coast. It will serve as a platform for cargo ships to offload aid shipments at sea, which will then be transported to the shore along an approximately 1,800-foot modular causeway, known as a Trident Pier.
Troops from the 7th Transportation Brigade set sail on the their weeks-long transit to the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility earlier this month, just days after President Joe Biden ordered the emergency operation. The Pentagon expects the pier to be fully functioning in approximately 60 days, facilitating the delivery of around 2 million meals per day.
The JLOTS mission is a key part of USTRANSCOM’s strategic sealift mission. The Roy P. Benavidez, operated by Military Sealift Command, houses a crew of contracted merchant mariners and is equipped to transport up to 380,000 square feet of containerized cargo and rolling stock between developed ports.
“MARAD’s ability to activate the Ready Reserve Force vessel MV Roy P. Benavidez is a hallmark of our strategic sealift capability,” said Maritime Administrator Ann C. Phillips. “Missions like this — supporting the Armed Forces, highlight the cornerstone capabilities MARAD delivers in support of interagency operations.”
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