PROGRESS OVERVIEW FOR SYRIAN CHEMICAL WEAPONS DESTRUCTION
Syria’s Chemical Weapons (CW) Destruction Schedule
- September 14, 2013 – Syria accedes to Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC)
- October 14 – CWC enters into force for Syria as the 190th State Party
- December 31 – All CW removed from Syria via Latakia port on board Danish & Norwegian ships
- March 31, 2014 – All “priority chemicals” destroyed on board MV Cape Ray
- June 30, 2014 – All chemicals destroyed
- December 31, 2014 – All secondary toxic waste destroyed at commercial facilities
MV Cape Ray
- US Merchant Marine bulk ro-ro carrier
- Built 1977
- Displacement – 35,350 tons
- 197.5 meters long
- All self-contained – no release of chemicals or effluents to ocean or environment
Field Hydrolysis System
- US semi-mobile neutralization system to destroy chemicals with hot water & caustic chemicals
- Fits in 2 shipping containers, with 15 additional containers for supplies and parts
Challenges to Program
- Ambitious schedule – First shipment of chemicals out of Syria on January 7, 2014 on Danish ship
- Trans-shipment – Chemicals will be transferred to the US ship, Cape Ray, in an Italian port yet to be named, “without touching Italian soil,” for first-stage destruction
- Environmental & public health impacts of on-board destruction – US officials allege that there will be no impacts of hydrolysis to ship’s crew or the ocean environment
- Second-stage treatment – Hydrolysis will produce 5-10x volume of liquid toxic waste which must be handled commercially, likely by incineration, closed detonation, or bioremediation
- Security and safety of OPCW inspectors and workers – Shipment of chemicals to Latakia delayed due to violence, and ships protected by naval vessels
- Funding of inspection and demilitarization efforts – Voluntary trust fund established by OPCW – some $100 million needed
- Transparency & public outreach – Protests in Italy illustrate need for more transparency
Conclusions
- Historic step forward for global abolition of chemical weapons
- First time for CW destruction in a civil war environment – safety & security challenges
- Green Cross/Global Green continues to play major role in public outreach & information, but with little funding