U.S. Ship Heads Out To Destroy Syrian Chemical Weapons
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A specially-equipped U.S. naval ship departed for Italy on Monday on a ground-breaking mission to destroy Syria’s most dangerous chemical weapons, Pentagon officials said.
According to Defense News, the 197.5 meter cargo ship has been outfitted with two large portable hydrolysis systems designed to neutralize lethal chemical agents in Syria’s arsenal. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel sent a letter to Capt. Rick Jordan and the 135-member crew telling them they were embarking on a “historic mission.” The Cape Ray was initially supposed to head out earlier but engine problems delayed the scheduled departure, officials said.
The ship has a crew of 35 civilians operating the vessel and will have a 63-member team in charge of the hydrolysis units as well as a security force on board.
iHLS – Israel Homeland Security
The hydrolysis machines will mix heated water and other chemicals to break down the lethal agents, resulting in a sludge equivalent to industrial toxic waste.
Last year, the UN Security Council backed a U.S.-Russian deal to remove and destroy Syria’s chemical arsenal. Under the accord, Syria’s entire chemical arsenal is to be eliminated by June 30. The arrangement will see some of the most dangerous agents neutralized on the U.S. ship at sea, as no country was ready to host an operation to destroy the chemicals.
The chemicals will be loaded on to the Cape Ray at the Italian port. The materials are the deadliest in Syria’s 1,290-ton declared arsenal and include mustard gas and the ingredients for the nerve agents sarin and VX. The destruction of the chemicals could take between 45 to 90 days, according to the Pentagon.
