Syrian chemical weapons to be destroyed in the Mediterranean Sea

In international waters just off the Syrian coast, outside the 12-mile zone, Danish and Norwegian cargo vessels are waiting for their final load of chemicals weapons precursors which still have to leave the country. This last part – 8% – has to leave Syria before June 30th, according to the scheme. This material is concentrated at one location but it is hard to remove as the road is blocked by armed troops opposing Syria’s government.

When the last consignment of chemicals is uploaded onto Danish and Norwegian ships in the Syrian harbour of Latakia, they will sail to the Italian port of Gioia Tuaro and to Finland, respectively. At the same moment, the MV Cape Ray, where the declared chemicals eventually will be destroyed, and which is waiting in Spain, will set sail to the south Italian port.

Transloading in Italian harbour

The load onboard the Danish vessel includes sulfur mustard and one of the declared precursors for sarin nerve gas: methylphosphonyldifluoride (DF). These chemicals, both in liquid form, will be loaded onto the American vessel Cape Ray under strict safety regulations. “The harbour will be completely closed for the period of transloading”, says Dominique Anelli, head of the OPCW’s Chemical Demilitarisation Branch”:http://www.opcw.org/about-opcw/ (CDB). “We communicate and coordinate intensely with the Italian authorities so the process will go smoothly”.

OPCW has as its target to destroy all chemical weapons and precursors worldwide and received the Nobel Prize in 2013. Anelli: “It is our task to make sure that the quantity doesn’t alter from the moment of the collection in Syria until the destruction phase on the Cape Ray. All is sealed and verified 24/7.” OPCW is responsible for the supervision of the non-diversion of declared chemicals, which is part of the verification process.

Experienced team

The MV Cape Ray, on which these dangerous chemicals (Schedule 1 chemicals, in accordance with the CWC) will be destroyed, is an American ship that quarries containers with two mobile hydrolysis systems, so called Field Deployable Hydrolysis Systems (FDHS). Hydrolysis is a proven technology to destroy chemical weapons or its precursors.

“The American technical team that will carry out the destruction of the Syrian chemicals onboard the Cape Ray has also been carrying out the destruction of the American arsenal of chemical weapons since 1997,” says Anelli, a total of 25.000 metric tonnes of chemical warfare agents. The Field Deployable Hydrolysis Systems (FDHS) aboard the Cape Ray were designed specifically for that situation but in the past the same technology was used to destroy a part of the chemical weapons stockpile in the USA. Two of these systems have been installed on the Cape Ray.

A multidisciplinary team of American technicians will be accompanied by at least four OPCW-inspectors on board of Cape Ray who will monitor destruction activities closely.

Unique event

It will be the first time since the Chemical Weapon Convention (CWC) came into force in 1997 that chemical weapons will be destroyed at sea. Anelli: “According to the CWC all chemical weapons and precursors have to be destroyed on land and in the country of origin itself. Usually, a facility is constructed for this purpose and OPCW inspectors monitor the destruction operations 24/7. In Syria this is not possible because of the situation of war”.

“An alternative solution was sought for last year to destroy Syria’s stockpile in neighbouring countries, but this could not be agreed because the CWC does not permit the transfer of chemical weapons between Member States”, says Anelli.

“The OPCW decided to separate the chemicals declared by Syria into two main groups: Priority 1 (chemical warfare agents or their key precursors) and Priority 2 (mainly industrial chemicals which are required to produce a chemical weapon). In October 2013 the OPCW Member States decided that some of the Priority 1 chemicals (mustard and DF) would be destroyed at sea in international waters of the Mediterranean.” With that solution, long-distance transport through the war area in the Middle-East was also avoided.