Cyprus Mail 19 December 2023 - by Nikolaos Prakas
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| RFA Lyme Bay |
The ship Lyme Bay, the first humanitarian aid ship sent from Cyprus to Gaza, was still waiting to dock on Tuesday, after it left Larnaca at the weekend, in a move heralded by the government as the start of the humanitarian maritime corridor.
According to state broadcaster CyBC, a British vessel departed from Larnaca port loaded with 80 tonnes of humanitarian aid on Saturday.
The ship was escorted by UK Royal Navy warships and will transport the aid through Israel.
The aid from Cyprus, which had been stored in a designated area at the port, was added to the British vessel.
Cyprus received approval following a visit by a delegation of Israeli technocrats last week, who inspected the areas and procedures for controlling and loading humanitarian aid.
However, since then the Lyme Bay has been floating in international waters just off Gaza, waiting for instructions as to where it will unload.
The ship currently has three choices for unloading the aid, and Cypriot authorities are in constant contact with Israeli counterparts to work on a technical level on how it will be delivered.
The ship can deliver the aid by docking at a beach in Gaza, as the Lyme Bay is a ship that can approach in shallow waters and unload, the other option is to leave the aid in the Egyptian port of El Arish, and the third to leave the aid in the Israeli port of Ashod, south of Gaza.
Meanwhile, Cyprus and other countries seem to be in favour of the aid being left in Gaza directly, as extra time would be needed to leave the aid in nearby ports, and it would not reach Gaza quickly.
On Monday, European Commission spokesperson Balas Ouzvari has called any attempt, even by third countries, to send humanitarian aid to the Gaza strip a “welcome development”.
He was asked to comment on the British vessel departing Larnaca port.
Ouzvari said that “every effort counts” when asked about the potential involvement of the EU.
He also added that the EU Commission “is in contact with the Cypriot government, but nothing confirmable at this stage”.
