A ship carrying tons of food aid for Gaza was expected to set sail from the Cypriot port of Larnaca within hours, DW’s Rosie Birchard reported Sunday.

The Open Arms, a salvage vessel, plans to tow a barge with 200 tons of food, including “things like flour, rice, protein like canned tuna, and of course, we know that is much needed in Gaza,” Birchard said in a live interview from Larnaca.

She said authorities in Cyprus had given the ship, carrying food provided by US charity World Central Kitchen, permission to depart on the new sea route opened this week to allow aid to sail directly from Cyprus.

“We have finished the inspection and loading of the vessel — the Open Arms vessel — and the platform they are using, so the most important part is that everything is ready, permissions have been granted, and now it is a scheduling issue for the NGO that is handling this issue,” Theodoros Gotsis, a Cypriot foreign affairs spokesperson told DW. 

The only remaining obstacle is the go-ahead from the organization in Gaza that will receive and distribute the aid. 

Birchard said Israel has welcomed the new sea route, but the United Nations has said it cannot replace open land borders. 

“Officials here hope they can ramp up this corridor over the next few weeks, so this voyage is really seen as a test,” Birchard added.