314 vessel operations projected for Operation Iraqi Freedom III

314 vessel operations projected for Operation Iraqi Freedom III    Vessel operations for Iraqi Operation Freedom III will be similar to previous shipment volumes handled during the second phase of vessel operations for the war, according to a top official at the U.S. military’s Surface Deployment and Distribution Command.
   Up to 314 vessel operations are planned between Sept.1 and April 2005, said William Lucas, deputy to the commander at SDDC.
   “These are comparable shipments” to Operation Iraqi Freedom II, Lucas said in a speech to the Washington Chapter of the National Defense Transportation Association on Sept. 23. During Operation Iraqi Freedom II, 330 vessel operations were conducted.
   Overall cargoes projected for the third phase of vessel deployments are 11.4 million square feet and 9.6 million square feet projected for redeployment, Lucas said.
   The biggest operations will take place in Southwest Asia where 87 discharges and 70 loadings will take place. In the United States, 141 vessel operations are planned, including 82 loadings and 59 discharges. In Europe, 14 vessel operations are planned, including four loadings and 10 discharges, Lucas said.
   The cargo will be transported by a combination of Military Sealift Command, Ready Reserve Fleet, and U.S.-flag commercial ships.