USNS CAPE RAY NEUTRALIZING SYRIAN CHEMICAL WEAPONS

AND RELATED MATERIALS  Editor's note 12/18/2014 The mission continues. At the bottom of post we have added links to videos providing a virtual tour of the CAPE RAY

USNS CAPE RAY, (T-AKR-96)  Photo USN

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. container ship Cape Ray began neutralizing chemical materials on Monday that were once part of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's weapons arsenal, the Pentagon said.

The ship, in international waters in the Mediterranean Sea, began processing about 600 metric tonnes of chemical weapons and raw materials that could be used in them, Pentagon spokesman Colonel Steve Warren told reporters.

The U.S. government has said the materials include mustard gas and components for the nerve agent sarin.

The materials were transferred to the Cape Ray earlier in July from a vessel that brought them out of Syria. Assad agreed last year to turn over his chemical weapons stockpile as part of a disarmament deal.

Warren said it is expected that the ship will need 60 days to process the materials.

The Cape Ray is equipped with a hydrolysis system that uses substances like water, sodium hydroxide and sodium hypochlorite to make chemical warfare agents safe enough to be disposed of at commercial sites.

Warren said the processed material would be transferred to Finland and Germany.

Washington and Moscow supported the agreement under which Assad surrendered Syria's chemical weapons after it was accused of using them against civilians.

VIDEOS: 

Tour The Cape Ray'S Chemical Weapon Disposal capabilities: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lejtV4_4iwY

 Cape Ray Disposal Practice: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1wf3tN5Vi04

               MV Cape Ray Laboratory Tour   https://www.youtube.com/watch?=1_3IoO6SGZ0 

 

                 M/V CAPE RAY's Navigation Bridge: 

               https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHDWexhpiJo  https:/