Thai PX/PTA players unaffected by BST blast over the weekend

07 May 2012 08:10  [Source: ICIS news]

SINGAPORE (ICIS)--Thailand-based paraxylene (PX) and purified terephthalic acid (PTA) players are unaffected by the blast at BST Elastomers’ Map Ta Phut facility on 5 May, sources said on Monday.

“Our PTA plant is running very smoothly at the moment,” said a source from Indorama Petrochem Limited. The company operates a 700,000 tonne/year PTA unit that is located a stone-throw away from the BST Elastomers’ blast site.

“There were some glass shards that flew into our compound because of the explosion but no one has been injured. Dispatch from the plant was suspended for seven to eight hours following the explosion at the BST plant,” the source added.

A source from PTT Global Chemical (PTTGC) said operations at its Map Ta Phut-based PX units were unaffected by the explosion as its facilities are not located within close proximity from the blast site.

PTTGC operates two PX units in Map Ta Phut with a combined nameplate capacity of 1.17m tonnes/year.

A fire had broken out at a toluene vessel inside BST’s Map Ta Phut facility on 5 May and had resulted in 11 fatalities and 141 injuries according to a company statement. The fire was brought under control within 40 minutes.

Media reports had earlier put the death toll at 12.

Bangkok synthetics has a capacity to produce 140,000 tonnes/year of butadiene, 55,000 tonnes/year of MTBE, 55,000 tonnes/year of butane LPG, 40,000 tonnes/year of C4 raffinate (isobutylene) and 35,000 tonnes/year of butene-1, according to the company's website.

By: Bohan Loh
+65 6780 4359

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