A General Frank S. Besson model ship from the US military has left the Langley-Eustis base, located on the coast of the US state of Virginia, and set course for the eastern Mediterranean, from where it will help deliver aid to Gaza.

The US central command Centcom announced this on Sunday, according to the news agency Reuters.

The cargo ship departed ”less than 36 hours after President Biden announced that the United States will provide humanitarian aid to Gaza by sea,” reads the statement.

On board is some of the equipment needed to establish a port off the coast of Gaza. It is not clear when the ship is expected to arrive in the Mediterranean.

Earlier this week, the White House confirmed that Biden has instructed the military to set up a port in Gaza. This is to ensure the delivery of emergency aid.

Among other things, the port will be able to receive large ships with food, water and medicine.

The port in Gaza brings the US closer to the war in Gaza than it has been so far.

Gaza has no port infrastructure of its own. To begin with, the US will therefore use a port in Cyprus.

There are almost 340 kilometers between Cyprus and Gaza, and the crossing time is approximately 15 hours.

Cyprus has offered to use a special procedure when it comes to cargo ships carrying aid to Gaza.

The country will security check the ships and their cargo in the Cyprus port, where Israeli officials will also be present so that the vessels do not have to be checked in Gaza.

It has not been announced when the US temporary port in Gaza will be completed. But it is expected to take several weeks.

On Saturday, the ship ”Open Arms”, belonging to a Spanish aid organization, was the first to be prepared for departure from Cyprus to Gaza. It is also loaded with relief aid.

However, it is not yet clear when it will depart from Cyprus.

Translated using DeepL with additional editing by Kristoffer Grønbæk