Petroplus Small-Crown: Switzerland Klesch deposited an takeover offer

(leparisien) -- The Swiss group Klesch, specialized in the resumption of companies in difficulty, deposited Thursday afternoon an takeover offer of the Petroplus refinery of Small-Crown (Seine-Maritime) which envisages to preserve 410 employment out of 550, declared in AFP a spokesperson.

The offer, lodged with the receiver, includes/understands a plan with engagements over 5 years aiming at bringing back the refinery Norman to profitability via investments of 160 million euros, specified this spokesperson of Klesch in France, confirming information of the Barber.

The objective of the group, it explained, is to make a success of the re-establishment and the return to the profitability of the refinery, currently in file for bankruptcy after the financial collapse of its owner, the Swiss refiner Petroplus.

This plan includes a guarantee on 410 employment on a total from approximately 550, specified the spokesperson, that is to say 140 suppressions of employment.
Klesch, controlled by the US investor Gary Klesch, had made share at the beginning of 2012 of its interest for Small-Crown, with the stop since January and which must start again in May thanks to a six month old temporary contract with Shell.

The bankruptcy of Petroplus  illustrated the difficulties of the sector of the refining on the Old continent, which suffers from surplus production capacities because of regular fall of the request for fuels and refined products.
Klesch also recently announced of its interest for the refineries Petroplus de Coryton in the United Kingdom and d' Ingolstadt in Germany. He also addressed at the end of February a letter of intent where he says himself interested by another French refinery threatened of closing, that of LyondellBasell with Berre-l' Etang (Rhone delta).

mrcplast.com