Friday, July 11, 2014
Crew of cargo ship Cape Ray can finally destroy Syria's chemical weapons
The cargo ship Cape Ray left Virginia in late January on a mission to destroy Syria's chemical weapons, and after five months of political machinations, the crew was finally able to start to carry out the relatively easy technical process.
Last week Pentagon spokesman Rear Adm. John Kirby verified that the Syrian chemicals were transferred to the Cape Ray from the Danish container ship Art Futura in the Italian port of Gioia Tauro.
Following the transfer, the Cape Ray headed for international waters, where it would start to neutralize the hazardous substances. Kirby said the process would likely take several weeks to complete.
The Cape Ray left Hampton Roads from General Dynamics' NASSCO-Earl Industries shipyard at Portsmouth. Part of the U.S. Maritime Administration's Ready Reserve fleet of 46 ships, the multistory vessel can transport tons of equipment and supplies to support military operations or humanitarian missions.
The Cape Ray has been equipped with a high-tech hydrolysis system that will use water or bleach to neutralize the chemicals involved in making Syria's deadly nerve gas and other agents. The technology isn't new, but doing it at sea is.
The ship had two hydrolysis systems with price tags of $5 million a piece. Once it starts to destroy the chemical agents, the crew planned to work day and night until the job was done.
Rick Jordan, who skippered the Cape Ray out of Portsmouth in January, said the ship has stabilizers and other equipment to mitigate the effects of bad weather. And since the work will happen on the open sea, there is no particular timetable or location involved in the process.
"I can use the weather in my favor," said Jordan, who works for Keystone Shipping Co., which is contracted to operate the ship. "But if the seas become unmanageable, we'll have to shut it down."
For more of the Daily Press story: dailypress.com
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