Russian Missile Cruiser to Escort Syrian Chemical Weapons

The safety of the third convoy of Syrian chemical weapons will be ensured by the Russian Navy’s missile cruiser Pyotr Veliky, the Voice of Russia reports.

The operation of securing the convoy will include ships from the Chinese, Danish and Norwegian navies as well.
The shipment of the weapons left Syria on January 10th aboard a Norwegian cargo vessel, according to the VOA News.
The first and the second batch of chemical weapons were loaded onto Danish and Norwegian ships.
Pyotr Veliky is a heavy nuclear-powered missile cruiser of the Russian Navy, and flagship of the Northern Fleet. The Russian ship performed the tasks of ensuring safe transportation of Syrian chemical weapons with other navies on January 7 and January 28.
The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons has set the final deadline for the weapons’ removal on 30 June 2014.
So far Syria has sent less than five percent of its stockpile to be destroyed.

PYOTR VELIKIY SPECIFICATIONS
Length	252 m
Beam	28.5 m
Draft	9.1 m
Displacement	24,300 tons Standard, 28,000 (Full Load)
Speed	32 knots (59 km/h)
Complement	727 Aircrew: 18 Flag staff: 15
Range	1,000 nautical miles (2,000 km) at 30 knots (56 km/h) (combined propulsion), Essentially unlimited with nuclear power at 20 knots (37 km/h)
Status	In active service

Naval Today Staff, February 11, 2014; Image: Wikimedia