Today the M/V Cape Ray deployed from Portsmouth and is now headed to Syria to join international efforts to eliminate the chemical weapons program there.
Crews have been working to ready the ship over the last few months. The Cape Ray will neutralize Syrian chemical materials and precursors using hydrolysis technology.
This technology mixes chemical agents with water and other chemicals to significantly lower any toxicity. The left over material is then destroyed in a commercial waste disposal site.
Officials say none of this will be dumped at sea or released into the air.
They say the Assad regime will transport the chemicals that need to be destroyed.
Officials have set a target date of June 30th for the total destruction of the materials.
CNN contributed to this report.
