US Ashland declares Europe force majeure on BDO after fire

(updates throughout with confirmation from Ashland)

HOUSTON (ICIS)–Ashland has declared force majeure (FM) in Europe on 1,4-butanediol (BDO), tetrahydrofuran (THF) and formaldehyde after a fire shut down production at its plant at Marl, Germany, the US-based company said on Friday.

Following the fire on Thursday, production has been suspended while an investigation into the cause and extent of the fire takes place, it said.

As a result, the Marl facility is currently unable to produce any 1,4-BDO, THF or formaldehyde, and the availability of product is “significantly reduced”.

Ashland is working with affected customers to minimise the impacts, and it will continue to provide updates regarding supply capability, it added.

The Marl plant’s BDO capacity is 100,000 tonnes/year, according to the ICIS plants and projects database.

Additional reporting by Tracy Dang and Tom Brown