WATCH: U.S. Ship Arrives in Spain During Chemical Weapons Mission

Published Feb 13, 2014 2:26 PM by The Maritime Executive

An American ship headed to Italy to collect material that is part of Syria's chemical weapons arsenal, arrives in Spain.

The MV Cape Ray docked in Spain for a routine port of call for refueling. It will sail on to Italy, where, experts from the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) say, it will take on board chemicals already taken from the Syrian port of Latakia.

The U.S. embassy in Madrid says the U.S plans to neutralize the chemicals at sea in international waters.

The clock is ticking. On February 5, Syria missed a deadline to hand over all toxic materials, putting the program several weeks behind schedule and threatening a final June 30 deadline.