Syrian chemicals were safely destroyed off Crete, says OPCW

The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), the international body responsible for overseeing the destruction of Syrian arms off Crete, says that there was no pollution as a result of the operation on board the US vessel Cape Ray.

“The operation was successfully completed weeks ahead of the 60-day schedule the US had estimated would be needed, and OPCW inspectors aboard the ship verified that no chemicals of any kind escaped into the sea or otherwise impacted the environment,” said Ahmet Üzümcü, OPCW director-general.

The effluent from the hydrolysis operations is being transported to Finland and Germany, where it will be disposed of at land-based facilities.

The Cape Ray, equipped with the U.S.-developed Field Deployable Hydrolysis System, neutralized 581.5 metric tons of DF, a sarin precursor chemical, and 19.8 metric tons of HD, an ingredient of sulfur mustard, while afloat in the Mediterranean.