The destruction of Syrian chemical weapons on board the U.S. cargo vessel MV Cape Ray began Monday, the Pentagon said. Pentagon spokesman Army Colonel Steve Warren said that it will take roughly 60 days, depending on the weather and sea conditions, to destroy the approximately 600 metric tons of material loaded onto the ship. The Cape Ray left the Italian port of Gioia Tauro last Wednesday and is currently in international waters. The chemicals, including mustard gas and the raw materials for sarin nerve gas, are being put through special Field Deployable Hydrolysis Systems in the cargo hold to neutralize them.
