British aid ship RFA Sir Galahad is reported to have edged through a narrow channel and arrived at the Iraqi port of Umm Qasr.

The 8,580-ton landing ship logistic (LSL) had been waiting in the Northern Arabian Gulf for several days to bring her cargo of more than 200 tonnes of food and medical supplies into the port, but she had been delayed twice – first by bad weather, and then by the discover of two mines by HMS Blyth and HMS Ledbury close to her proposed route.

According to reports from a BBC correspondent on board the landing ship, Sir Galahad – with some of her fuel tanks emptied to minimise risks if a stray mine had been encountered, and following the lead of Royal Navy minehunter HMS Sandown – slowly negotiatedm a safe, swept channel around 200 metres wide and some 50 miles long.

Her path had been cleared by six British and four American minesweepers and minehunters, and teams of British, American and Australian divers.

Sir Galahad is carrying basic food, including rice, lentils and chickpeas, flour, bottled water and World Health Organisation medical packs.