A U.S. cargo ship called the Cape Ray is being transformed into a war machine that will play a vital role in destroying Syria's chemical weapons.
The Department of Defense is outfitting the vessel with two hydrolysis machines that will use "heat, water and bleach-like chemicals" to degrade the chemical weapon stockpile. The plan comes after the Syrian government unleashed a chemical attack in August 2013, killing 1,400 rebel troops and civilians and resulting in a call to military action by President Barack Obama. Congress voted against the use of force, and the U.S. and Russia eventually brokered an agreement that allows other nations to extract and eliminate the weapons.
But that's only if Syria follows through. The government was supposed to deliver its weapons to ships from Norway and Denmark by the end of the year, but that deadline has passed and the weapons have yet to arrive. Third-party inspectors say the mission is still on its way to completion, if a little behind schedule.
Cape Ray can't take the weapons directly from Syria because U.S. ships are not permitted to dock in the country's waters due to tense relations between the two nations. Instead, it will soon make its way to an unidentified port in the Mediterranean, where the chemicals will be placed on board after Norwegian and Danish ships deliver them.

Contractors work on the hydrolysis systems that are tasked with eliminating the Syrian chemical weapons. Image: Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images
The hydrolysis systems will reportedly be able to destroy 24 metric tons per day of chemicals. The process is expected to take around 45 days and will be the first time such a task is performed at sea.
If all goes according to plan, Cape Ray will degrade the chemicals and deliver them to an undisclosed location.
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Image: Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images