Norwegian Cargo Ship Departs with Chemicals
The Norwegian vessel Taiko, which is participating in the multinational maritime operation to remove chemicals from Syria, departed today for Finland and the United States to deliver its cargo of chemicals for destruction in those countries.
This is in accordance with the schedule of the Taiko, which was notified to the OPCW at an earlier stage. The Danish ship Ark Futura will take over the remaining 8 percent of chemicals for transportation to their destination.
“I commend Norway and Denmark for their vital support for the maritime operation,” said the OPCW Director-General, Ambassador Ahmet Üzümcü. “We remain focused on removing the last consignment of chemicals from Syrian territory and urge the Syrian authorities to complete the removal as soon as possible.”
As the implementing body for the Chemical Weapons Convention, the OPCW oversees the global campaign to permanently eliminate these weapons. Since its entry into force in 1997 the Convention has become the fastest growing arms treaty in history with 190 States Parties, and 82% of all declared chemical arsenals have already been destroyed under OPCW verification. For these unprecedented achievements the OPCW was awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace in 2013.
