Corrected: INEOS Cologne fire cuts cracker capacity to 60-80%

18 March 2008 12:18  [Source: ICIS news]

Correction: In the ICIS news story headlined “INEOS Cologne fire cuts cracker capacity 60-80%” dated 18 March 2008, please read the headline as “INEOS Cologne fire cuts cracker capacity to 60-80%...” instead of “...capacity 60-80%...” Also in the first paragraph please read …crackers to 60-80%... instead of …crackers by 60-80%... A corrected story follows.

 

LONDON (ICIS news)--INEOS is assessing the full impact of a fire at its Cologne plant in Germany which has reduced capacity at one of its crackers to 60-80%, a company spokesman said on Tuesday.

 

Although the blaze cut output at the cracker, which has an ethylene capacity of 660,000 tonnes/year, the majority of the site was operational and the acrylonitrile (ACN) and polyethylene (PE) units were running as normal, he added.

 

The company said in a statement that an emission of ethylene from the main pipeline that feeds the plant caught fire at 14.30 local time on Monday. This led to an ACN stock tank nearby igniting.

 

Two hundred firefighters were on-site throughout the afternoon and specialist equipment was deployed to cool the tank and bring the fire under control, it added.

 

Firefighters remained on site on Tuesday to monitor the tank.

“INEOS continues to take atmospheric measurements outside of the plant boundary and confirms there are no elevated levels in or around the local community measured so far,” it said.

Local residents were being told to remain inside, to keep windows and doors closed and to listen to regular reports on local media, the spokesman added.

 

Nel Weddle contributed to this story

By: Lucy Craymer
+44 20 8652 3214

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