The situation at Unipetrol petchem site is safe

MOSCOW (MRC) -- The situation in Chempark Zaluzi of Unipetrol after the emergency situation that happened on 13 August is stable, all risks resulting from the damaged places are excluded, said the producer on its site.

The road 1/27 between Most and Litvinov was re-opened today at midnight. There starts to operate the investigative team of Police of the Czech Republic and Firefighting department at the site today. The actual takings of samples regarding the possible occurrence of pollutants in the air did not show increased values.

"First of all, I would like to thank all components of the integrated rescue system for their professional and devoted intervention that made it able to handle the situation quickly and without major impacts on human health and the environment," says CEO and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Unipetrol Marek Switajewski. "People and safety are for Unipetrol group the most important corporate values. We will closely analyse the causes of the emergency situation but in particular the possibilities on how to prevent from such situation and how to increase the safety even higher," adds Marek Switajewski.

The situation at the site is in the long term without any risks. The Crisis Committee decided on putting the tram into service on Monday evening. The company reverts back to normal operating mode.

There is ongoing investigation carried out by a special team of the Police of the Czech Republic and Firefighting department in place of the accident. As soon as the work of the investigation team will finish, our specialists will get to the place to map out the factual extent of the damages and plan the necessary repairs or the time schedule for a possible restart of production.

"We want to re-establish the production in the plant in the shortest possible term. Regarding re-establishing of the operation in full extent, we are talking approximately about the horizon of months rather than weeks," says CEO and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Unipetrol Marek Switajewski.

This is also related to the calculation of financial losses that incurred in connection with the emergency situation. The summarising should be available during next days, depending on how quickly will finish the investigation works at the site.

Regarding the production in Chempark Zaluzi, the petrochemical operations remain shut down at this moment. The refinery produces mainly gasoline and diesel in a limited extent. At its minimum operation is also the production of agrochemicals. The emergency situation did not affect the refinery in Kralupy that is running at full capacity.

As MRC reported before, the explosion at Chempart Zaluzi petrochemical complex, which occurred around 9:00 a.m. local time on Aug. 13 following a propylene leak at the plant’s steam cracker, was followed by fires in two separate parts of the unit, the second of which broke out after the cracker’s emergency shutdown. Unipetrol stopped production of all petrochemicals at the complex, with the plant’s steam cracker, polypropylene unit, and two polyethylene units to remain offline until further notice.

Unipetrol , a.s. is a group of companies operating in the petrochemical industry in the Czech Republic. In 2005 Unipetrol became a part of the PKN ORLEN Group, the largest oil processor in Central Europe. The UNIPETROL Group is oriented mostly towards oil processing, fuel distribution and petrochemical production. In all of these business areas the Unipetrol Group is among the key players both in the Czech Republic and on the Central European market. The Group ranks among the leading firms in the Czech Republic in terms of its revenues, and employs almost 4,000 people.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Shenyang Chemical has taken off-stream a linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE) plant for a maintenance turnaround, as per Apic-online.

A Polymerupdate source in China informed that the plant was shut early last week. It is likely to remain off-stream till end August 2015.

Located in Liaoning province, China, the LLDPE plant has a production capacity of 100,000 mt/year.

As MRC informed previously, in late July 2015, Sinopec Yangzi Petrochemical shut its LLDPE plant for maintenance. It is likely to remain off-stream for around one month. Located at Nanjing in China, the plant has a production capacity of 200,000 mt/year.

Besides, PetroChina, China's largest oil and gas producer, restarted a high density polyethylene/linear low density polyethylene (HDPE/LLDPE) plant following maintenance turnaround in early June 2015. It was shut on April 10, 2015. Located in Dushanzi, China, the plant has a production capacity of 660,000 mt/year.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- PPG Industries announced that it has reached a definitive agreement to acquire the remaining interest in Chemfil Canada Limited, a joint venture of PPG and Madinal Enterprises, as per producer's press release.

The transaction is expected to close in the third quarter, subject to customary closing conditions. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Chemfil Canada produces pretreatment products, as well as some general industrial chemicals, for automotive original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and industrial customers in Canada.

The acquisition will enhance PPG’s pretreatment presence and capabilities in Canada, and after closing the acquired products and services will be offered under the PPG name. Also at the conclusion of the transaction, an affiliate of Madinal Enterprises will own the Windsor production facility and certain non-pretreatment business and product lines that will continue to use the Chemfil name.

As MRC informed earlier, in June 2015 PPG Industries agreed to acquire US-based IVC Industrial Coatings for an undisclosed amount.

PPG Industries, Inc. (PPG) is a global supplier of protective and decorative coatings. Performance Coatings, Industrial Coatings and Architectural Coatings- EMEA segments supply protective and decorative finishes for customers in a range of end use markets, including industrial equipment, appliances and packaging; factory-finished aluminum extrusions and steel and aluminum. Founded in 1883, PPG has global headquarters in Pittsburgh and operates in nearly 70 countries around the world. Reported net sales in 2014 were USD15.4 billion.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Borouge has selected Neste Jacobs, a technology, engineering and project management company, as a front-end engineering and design (FEED) service contractor for its polyethylene (PE) plant modification project, located in the Ruwais industrial area of the UAE, said Hydrocarbonprocessing.

This project is the third FEED project in a row which Neste Jacobs is delivering to Borouge in the UAE under the long-term service contract that was previously signed between the two companies (Tier 1 contract).

"This contract is an important milestone in cooperation and partnership between Neste Jacobs and Borouge," said Jarmo Suominen, CEO of Neste Jacobs. "This project is also a proof that we are generating real added values for our customers and provide high quality services competitively in the Middle East and also globally."

The project scope includes FEED services such as process and plant engineering and project management. The project will be executed by Neste Jacobs' Abu Dhabi office, and it will be delivered within the course of year 2015.

"Neste Jacobs' extensive know-how of our polyethylene process technology and our production plants combined with Neste Jacobs' local presence in the Middle East were some of the most important selection criteria for choosing a FEED contractor," said Abdulla N. Ateya, senior vice president of Borouge's technical group.

"Neste Jacobs is our long-term engineering partner and we are very much looking forward to extending our good cooperation with them," he added.

As MRC informed earlier, Borealis and Borouge, the world's leading providers of innovative, value-creating solutions for the wire and cable industry, continue to deliver on their commitment to driving innovation in the global industry. Borealis and Borouge have developed new products such as Borealis PP4874 for data cables and Borealis LE0563 for submarine power cable jackets, which will be showcased at the 2014 Wire Dusseldorf. Thus, the company is going to launch its two new grades at the event.

Borouge is a joint venture between the Abu Dhabi National Oil company and Borealis.

Borealis is a leading provider of innovative solutions in the fields of polyolefins, base chemicals and fertilizers. Borealis is headquartered in Vienna, Austria, and operates in over 120 countries with around 5,300 employees worldwide.

MRC