bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

urlAlias

moreOnThisArticles

sponsorType

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents


With special machinery installed in the hold of this American cargo ship, the MV Cape Ray is poised to embark on an unprecedented mission to destroy Syria’s lethal chemical agents at sea.
At a shipyard in Virginia, the 197.5-metre ship from the Maritime Administration’s reserve fleet has been outfitted with two portable hydrolysis systems designed to neutralise the most dangerous chemicals in Syria’s arsenal.
“I’m waiting for my sailing orders,” said Captain Rick Jordan, clad in overalls and a construction helmet.
The US officer told reporters he expected to get the green light to set off “within about two weeks”.
Under a deal brokered by Russia and the United States, Syria was supposed to remove its key chemical weapons components by the end of last year.
But the country’s raging civil war, logistical problems and bad weather have held up plans to move chemical agents out of Syria to the port of Latakia, according to the joint UN-Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) mission overseeing the effort.

	It is essentially the same chemical process we’ve used for our chemical weapons stockpile. We just scaled it down into a transportable form

	Adam Baker, chemical engineer
The most dangerous elements used for mustard gas and the nerve agent sarin are supposed to be loaded soon onto cargo ships and escorted to Italy by Danish and Norwegian naval vessels.
In waters off Italy, about 700 tonnes of chemical agents will then be loaded onto the Cape Ray, according to Frank Kendall, Pentagon undersecretary of defence for acquisition, technology and logistics.
The US ship will then head out to an undisclosed location, possibly in the Mediterranean, to begin the task of neutralising the chemical agents.
Inside the cavernous vessel, all is ready to accommodate a 35-member crew and 63 specialists overseeing the hydrolysis operation, as well as a security team.
The hold of the ship resembles a mostly empty warehouse with a giant white tent housing a filtration system.
Inside the plastic tent are two storage tanks, each containing a cistern where the lethal agents will be mixed with water and other chemicals.

While destroying chemical weapons at sea is without precedent, the technology employed has been around for decades, according to Adam Baker, a chemical engineer with the US military’s Edgewood Chemical Biological Center.
“It is essentially the same chemical process that we’ve used for our chemical weapons stockpile,” Baker said. “We just scaled it down into a transportable form.”
The hydrolysis process is supposed to render the lethal agents into a sludge similar to industrial toxic waste.
On the outside of the tent, huge green pipes run through a forest of valves and six enormous gray cisterns, where the resulting material from the hydrolysis will be stored and measured for toxicity.
The “residue” from the operation, which will amount to 5.7 million litres, will then be transferred to white cisterns mounted on a lower deck.
Private firms will handle the disposal of the hazardous material, and the OPCW has launched an appeal for offers from contractors. Some 42 firms have already expressed an interest.
French human rights and environmentalist group Robin de Bois has warned the extraordinary plan carries numerous risks as the 36-year-old ship has only a single hull and no transverse partitions in case the ship suffers a leak or a fire.

But the ship’s captain said the double hulls are used for oil tankers or other cargo vessels. In this case, the chemicals are already confined in hermetically sealed containers.
“Safety is our first order of business,” said Kendall.
“And we’re going to make sure that we dispose of the materials that we have to handle in a very safe manner and we take care of both the people that are involved, people that might be affected, and the environment.”
The neutralisation work at sea is due to take about 45 to 90 days, according to the Pentagon.
Much will depend on the weather and conditions at sea.
The ship is designed to absorb rough seas but “if it becomes unmanageable, we’ll have to shut down production”, Jordan said.


MV Cape Ray prepares to destroy Syria’s chemical weapons at sea

Rick Jordan, captain of the ship, says he is awaiting his sailing orders. Photo: Reuters

The MV Cape Ray. Photo: AP

The Field Deployable Hydrolysis System, designed to neutralise Syria's chemical weapons. Photo: AFP

Ships return to dock as Syria chemical deadline missed 

The Norwegian frigate HNoMS Helge Ingstad at dock in Cyprus. Photo: AP

Agency approves plan to destroy chemical weapons outside Syria

People celebrate in Tirana after Prime Minister Edi Rama rejected a request to help destroy Syria's chemical weapons. Photo: Reuters

PLA Navy to provide escort as US transports Syrian arms

Syria is due to hand over deadly toxins that can be used to make sarin, VX gas and other lethal agents. Photo: Reuters 

News

World

Safety fears as MV Cape Ray prepares to neutralise lethal agents at sea for first time


With special machinery installed in the hold of this American cargo ship, the MV Cape Ray is poised to embark on an unprecedented mission to destroy Syria’s lethal chemical agents at sea.


.css-sioo19{color:#c79a00;}New | MV Cape Ray prepares to destroy Syria’s chemical weapons at sea

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Safety fears as MV Cape Ray prepares to neutralise lethal agents at sea for first time

New | MV Cape Ray prepares to destroy Syria’s chemical weapons at sea

Safety fears as MV Cape Ray prepares to neutralise lethal agents at sea for first time