Danish ship carrying Syria chemical weapons transfers cargo to US vessel

(2 Jul 2014) A Danish ship carrying hundreds of tons of Syrian chemical weapons steamed into the southern Italian port of Gioia Tauro on Wednesday for a rendezvous with a US cargo vessel carrying equipment that will destroy the toxic material. Escorted by an Italian coast guard vessel, the Ark Futura pulled into port as the sun rose and anchored near the MV Cape Ray, which has machinery on board to neutralise the chemicals. Within an hour of arrival, a forklift truck and cranes were at work on the Ark Fortuna's deck beginning to move the containers. Local officials estimate the transfer of chemicals might take as long as 20 hours, depending on sea conditions. Once the chemicals are moved onto the Cape Ray, it will sail into the open sea and begin the process of neutralising the materials. The Ark Futura last month picked up the last batch of Syrian chemical weapons - including mustard gas and the raw materials for sarin nerve gas - that were removed as part of the international effort to destroy Syria's chemical stockpile. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...