U.S. ship finishes neutralizing Syria's worst chemical arms- Pentagon

A U.S. marine officer walks past the Field Deployable Hidrolysis System (FDHS) of the U.S. MV Cape Ray ship docked at the naval airbase in Rota, near Cadiz, southern Spain April 10, 2014. REUTERS/Marcelo del Pozo

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A specially equipped U.S. ship has finished neutralizing all 600 metric tons of the most dangerous of Syria's chemical weapons components surrendered to the international community this year to avert threatened air strikes, the Pentagon said on Monday.

It said the Cape Ray, equipped with the U.S.-developed Field Deployable Hydrolysis System, neutralized 581.5 metric tons of DF, a sarin precursor chemical, and 19.8 metric tons of HD, an ingredient of sulphur mustard, while afloat in the Mediterranean.