Europe

Home page

Europe

Italy allows Syrian chemicals to be trans-loaded in Italian harbor: OPCW

16 January 2014 23:51 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. The Italian government has allowed the port of Gioia Tuaro to be used for trans-loading priority chemicals brought from Syria by cargo vessels onto a U.S. ship, the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) director-general Ahmet Uzumcu said Thursday, APA reports quoting AP.

The port is located on the Mediterranean coast of southern Italy and is specialized in transshipment activities.

The U.S. ship has been out-fitted with two hydrolysis units, which will neutralize some 560 metric tonnes of priority chemicals while the vessel is at sea in international waters, the OPCW said.

Trans-loading the chemicals onto the U.S. ship Cape Ray in a port facility is said to greatly improve the safety and security of the operation.

Uzumcu made the announcement in Rome following a hearing in the Italian Parliament on the Syria maritime mission.

During a briefing with journalists, Uzumcu reiterated that the mid-2014 deadline for eliminating Syria's entire chemical arsenal would be met.