Syrian Chemical Weapons Elimination Project – Mediterranean Sea

Global Security

The destruction of a chemical agent arsenal in the Mediterranean Sea was undertaken with funding from the Nunn–Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction (CTR) Program. Established in 1991, the CTR Program is congressionally mandated to reduce the world’s arsenals of weapons of mass destruction (WMD). In 2013, Parsons was awarded a task order under the CTR’s Integrating Contract II (CTRIC II) to support the following activities:

• Logistics and procurement support for the U.N./Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) for the safe removal of chemical warfare materials from Syria
• Rapid procurement and installation support to physically ready the MV Cape Ray for the chemical agent destruction mission
• Technical and staffing support during the chemical neutralization process aboard the MV Cape Ray
• Forward logistics support, including commercial helicopter resupply
• Demobilization support to remove equipment, dispose of waste materials, and restore the MV Cape Ray to its original condition

The multinational team assembled to eliminate this chemical agent arsenal faced significant challenges, as the battle lines of the Syrian Civil War constantly shifted, creating an unstable security environment. The team devised an executable plan to safely transport and destroy 1,000 metric tons of chemical warfare materials staged at multiple locations. These stockpiles of Syria’s declared chemical agents were transported for off-shore destruction at sea, reducing the potential risk to the local communities. After 6 weeks of the first weapon being neutralized, the U.S. government announced the successful elimination of 600 metric tons of chemical agents aboard the MV Cape Ray. Parsons takes great pride in being a member of the international team responsible for eliminating a chemical arsenal and in supporting the CTR program mission to make the world a safer place.

Featured Jan 2015/Updated Feb 2018