The last of 190 tonnes of Syrian chemical weapon material was destroyed in Ellesmere Port on Wednesday

The last of 190 tonnes of Syrian chemical material, intended for use by the Assad regime to manufacture nerve agent was incinerated at Ellesmere Port today.

Image: ITV

The Government previously announced that the UK had agreed to destroy approximately 15% of the total declared Syrian chemical stockpile in commercial facilities.

The entire stockpile of one category of chemicals, known as “B precursors”, along with a smaller volume of hydrochloric acid also from the Syrian chemical weapons programme, arrived in Britain three weeks ago.

A consignment of Syrian chemicals delivered to Marchwood Military Port for destruction in the UK. ©Crown copyright 2012

The chemicals were then transferred to the High Temperature Incinerator operated by Veolia at Ellesmere Port, where they have been destroyed, under the verification procedures of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), ending the company’s involvement in this task.

Minister for the Middle East and North Africa, Tobias Ellwood, said:

“By destroying these chemicals, the United Kingdom has played its part in the international effort to ensure that Assad’s chemical weapons can never again be used against the Syrian people. The removal, and now the destruction in four countries, of the declared Syrian chemical stockpile show what can be achieved when the international community, including Russia, agrees to work together for the common good.”

The work at Ellesmere Port is part of international efforts involving destruction facilities in the USA, Finland and Germany and with support from many other states and the OPCW.

The cargo was checked by inspectors from the organisation for the prohibition of chemical weapons. ©Crown copyright 2012

The destruction by neutralisation of a smaller volume of hydrogen fluoride will take place towards the end of the year.

This will complete the UK’s role in destruction activities.

[highlight type=”standard, dark”]Disposing of Chemical Weapons…[/highlight]

B precursors are two industrial grade chemicals which if combined with chemicals known as A precursors produce nerve agent.

Type A and type B precursors were never transported together.

The UK offered to destroy the entire batch of B precursors, the OPCW requested the UK destroy an additional 44 tonnes of hydrochloric acid and six tonnes of hydrogen fluoride

The chemical stockpile declared by the Assad regime comprised some 1300 tonnes