Chinese frigate completes second escort mission

The Chinese frigate, the Yancheng, has successfully escorted a convoy of Danish and Norwegian cargo ships to Syria's Latakia Port to begin loading another round of the country's chemical weapons stockpile.

The ships are carrying 9 cargo containers for chemical storage. Escort ships from China, Russia, Denmark and Norway are standing by to begin the next leg of the disarmament. A UN report says the current disarmament operation is behind schedule. The deadline for the first escort mission to remove Syria's most dangerous chemical weapons was originally set for December 31st, but was not carried out until January 7th.

Those weapons are now scheduled to be destroyed offshore on a US ship by March 31st. And the rest of Syria's chemical materials are due to be transferred out of the country by February 5th, and destroyed by June 30th.