LIBYA A Second Request for International Assistance

Working together for a world free of chemical weapons

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Lynn HogginsSenior Chemical Demilitrasation Officer

Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons

LIBYA

A Second Request for

International Assistance


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Libya: A Second Request for International Assistance

• Libya deposited its instrument of accession to the Chemical

Weapons Convention (CWC) with the United Nations on 6 January

2004

• The CWC entered into force on 5 February 2004

• Destruction began in 2004 with the destruction of 3563 Category 3

air bombs

• In Jan – Feb 2005, the Technical Secretariat verified the

destruction of 551 MT of Category 2, sodium sulfide and sodium

fluoride by cementation


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All Category 3 Munitions were

destroyed in 2004

Destruction of sodium sulfide and

sodium fluoride by cementation

was completed in 2005

Neutralisation of PCl3 was

attempted in 2010 resulting in an

explosion

The Destruction of H began in 2010

using a neutralisation system

purchased from the Italian firm

SIPSA

Destruction continued

through February 2011

and resumed in 2013


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In November 2011, Libya declared

a “previously undeclared chemical

weapons stockpile” consisting of

Category 1 and Category 3 chemical

weapons

The Secretariat dispatched an

inspection team to confirm the

declaration

With assistance from the US, the

munitions were destroyed in a Static

Detonation Chamber between

November 2013 and January 2014


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Libya destroyed 114 MT of

Isopropanol alcohol by

dilution in August 2015

A band of ISIS militants

attacked a road block near

the road leading to Waddan

The destruction of 19MT of

pinacolyl alcohol was moved

to the north near Tripoli

where it was completed in

January 2016 via an

afterburner chamber


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Off-site shipment required the decanting of the chemicals from old

tanks into new ISO approved tanks for shipment

Decanting operations were verified via video tapes

Samples were required to be taken from each tank


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Examples of Corrosion


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19 July 2017

Phosphorous Trichloride Tank Incident


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3 February 2016 Letter from Libya “it is not realistic to expect that the

destruction of these chemical weapons will be completed within the

set time frame without an effective international assistance”

12 February 2016 Letter to the Director-General requesting the

consideration of transporting the remaining Category 2 chemical

weapons to a waste disposal facility outside Libya in order to destroy

them as early as possible

24 February 2016 Meeting of the Executive Council to explore options

8 March 2016 Meeting of Technical Experts

In Country Disposal

One half in country, one half removed

Removal of all chemicals


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20 July 2016 Fifty Second Executive Council Meeting authorised

removal and called for a destruction plan to be developed and

presented to the Council in seven days

22 July 2016 United Nations Security Council Resolution 2298

endorsed the decision taken by the OPCW Executive Council and

authorised the acquisition of Libyan chemicals by member states for

the purpose of destruction

25 July 2016 First Operational Planning Group Meeting in Tunisia.

Attendees from Denmark, Libya, United States and the Technical

Secretariat


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27 July 2016 Fifty Second Executive Council Meeting

Authorised the transport of Libya’s chemical weapons no later than

8 September 2016

Authorised destruction to be completed within 15 months of arrival

in Germany

10 August 2016 Second Meeting of the Joint Operations Planning

Group

19 August 2016 Director-General presented the plan for destruction

of Libya’s Category 2 chemical weapons outside the territory of Libya

(EC-M-53/DG.1)


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26 August 2016 Fifty Third Meeting of the Executive Council

approved the arrangement between the OPCW and the Federal

Republic of Germany for the destruction of the chemicals (EC-M-

53/Dec.2)

27 August 2016 Chemical loaded and depart Misrata, Libya

6 September 2016 Arrival in Bremerhaven, Germany

30 September 2016 GEKA began the destruction of 2 chloroethanol


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Sample Transfer


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Mission Complete


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Loading in Misrata

http://www.libyaobserver.ly/sites/default/files/danish 288.jpg

http://www.libyaobserver.ly/sites/default/files/danish 288.jpg


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Arrival in Germany


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Arrival at GEKA


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Sample Collection


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Destruction To Date

Chemical Quantity Status Destruction Dates

2 Chloroethanol 18 MT Completed 31 Oct – 17 Dec 2016

Tributylamine 238 MT Completed 26 Sep 2016 – 20 Jan

2017

Phosphorous Trichloride 138 MT On-Hold 13 Feb – 2 Mar 2017

Thionyl Chloride 100 MT On-Going 24 Mar 2017


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Denmark

Finland

Canada

Cyprus

France

Germany

Italy

Libya

MaltaNetherlands

New Zealand

Spain

United Kingdom

Belgium

United States


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LIBYA A Second Request for International Assistance