The Obama Administration is considering destroying the deadliest Syrian chemical weapons at sea in a bid to circumvent the various diplomatic, security and environmental problems that would come with land-based disposal. The plan has not yet been approved but is thought to be in favor as no other country has committed to neutralizing the weapons on their soil.
Jonathan Lalley, a spokesman for the National Security Council, was keen to stress that no decision had yet been made, but confirmed that discussions were taking place. “We and our international partners are pursuing alternative means of destruction,” he said in an emailed statement to the Associated Press, adding, “We remain confident that we will complete elimination of the program within the milestones agreed upon.”
It is thought that a maritime disposal of the weapons would take place aboard the MV Cape Ray in the Mediterranean Sea, which would be fitted with a special hydrolysis system to render the chemicals unusable as weapons. The vessel would have a civilian crew but would be under the control of the Defense Department’s Military Sealift Command. Nearby U.S. warships would provide security.
Central to the decision would be the verdict of the global chemical weapons watchdog, the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. The body recently highlighted the logistical difficulty of transporting the deadly material out of Syria while the civil war continues on the ground.