Syrian chemical arms transfer begins at Italy's Gioia Tauro

(ANSA) - Gioia Tauro, July 2 - The transfer of a shipment of Syrian chemical arms from the Danish ship Ark Futura to the US container ship Cape Ray began Wednesday in the southern Italian port of Gioia Tauro.
    The operation was approved after a team of inspectors from the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) inspected the cargo, checking the type, quantity and packaging of the chemical arms.
    The first container was hooked on a crane and later left on a forklift for loading on the Cape Ray.
    The first three containers to be transferred from the Ark Futura to Cape Ray will be those containing 20 tonnes of mustard gas, qualified sources told ANSA. The American ship requested the containers containing mustard gas be transferred first. Stationary cranes were employed.
    Seventy-five containers containing precursors to sarin will follow. The Ark Futura had arrived Gioia Tauro at dawn.
    The chemical weapons will be neutralised in international waters. The transfer of chemicals might take as long as 20 hours, depending on sea conditions.