GAZA CITY, Mar. 17 (CNA) - A second ship loaded with aid for Gaza could depart as early as Saturday (Mar 15), Cyprus said, as the first vessel returned from the war-ravaged territory after successfully delivering its cargo.
The Jennifer was set "to depart for Gaza today or tomorrow", foreign ministry spokesperson Theodoros Gotsis told state radio.
US charity World Central Kitchen said the Jennifer had been loaded with 240 tonnes of food but that rough weather made it hard to predict when it would set sail for Gaza or when the first vessel, the Open Arms, might make a return trip.
"Maritime weather reports show bad weather from Sunday until end of next week - so exact timing of sailing for either boat to return to Gaza is not available at this time," the charity said in a statement.
The maritime aid corridor from Cyprus is meant to at least partly address stark shortages in Gaza after more than five months of war, as UN agencies warn of looming famine.
Earlier on Saturday, World Central Kitchen said its team had finished unloading food and other desperately needed supplies from the barge towed by the Spanish aid vessel Open Arms, which left Cyprus on Tuesday in a trial run for the aid corridor.
"All cargo was offloaded and is being readied for distribution in Gaza," World Central Kitchen said in a statement, noting it included "almost 200 tonnes of food".
The cargo on the Jennifer includes "pallets of canned goods and bulk product - including beans, carrots, canned tuna, chickpeas, canned corn, parboiled rice, flour, oil and salt", the charity said.
It also includes a forklift and a crane to assist with deliveries, it said.
The United Arab Emirates has sent "a special load of 120 (kilogrammes of) fresh dates", it added.
Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides told reporters that Open Arms "has begun to return" to Cyprus "and we are ready to send the second ship with humanitarian aid to Gaza".
The Spanish charity that owns the first vessel, also named Open Arms, said it would get back to Cyprus on Sunday and could participate in future aid deliveries.
Photo from AFP
