Destruction of Syria’s chemical weapons in the Mediterranean between Greece and Italy

The OPCW-led programme to destroy chemical weapons from Syria is now well under way. According to the organisation, all Priority 1 chemicals from the Syrian arsenal have now been removed from the country. 1000 tonnes of Priority 1 chemicals are now on board the US maritime vessel Cape Ray: this includes sarin gas. On board this ship, in the international Mediterranean waters between Greece and Italy, the destruction process is currently beginning. This process is scheduled to take about 60 days.

Owing to the nature of these chemicals, the destruction process is extremely sensitive and is potentially extremely dangerous for the neighbouring Greek and Italian communities, in particular for the inhabitants of certain Greek islands such as Crete.

1. Is the Council aware of and briefed on the extremely sensitive and dangerous process of destruction of these chemicals? Can it guarantee that local communities will be safe?

2. What measures has the Council taken, in conjunction with the UN and the US, to prevent accidents from happening? To what extent are local communities being informed and involved in contingency preparations? What measures are being taken to prevent leakage of toxic waste into the marine environment?

3. With regard to the Cape Ray, is the Council aware of reports that this ship, being 36 years old, does not have the kind of transversal support or protection required for it to withstand fire or other serious incidents?

Source: European Parliament