ATHENS — The Greek Navy's gunship IKARIA will sail off from Salamina to the port of Beirut, in Lebanon, on Monday September 14, carrying the second load of medical and pharmaceutical supplies, foods and basic goods and even construction material, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Friday.

The aid is an initiative of the Greek government and Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, to help Lebanon address the aftermath of the August 4 fatal blast which flattened the port of Beirut and destroyed large parts of the city.

It comprises more than 500 pallets of hundreds of tons of products, gathered from at least 60 Greek companies in less than 15 days, the ministry said, with contributions by private sector businesses, the Lebanese Embassy in Greece, the Greek-Lebanese Association, and the Greek Communist Party's workers union PAME.

The Greek gunship will also load material from the port of Limassol, an aid donation of Cyprus to the government of Lebanon.