Fires Close BASF Plants

Posted by Matt Hopkins|5 January 2010

LUDWIGSHAFEN, Germany — Two of BASF’s global plants that produce ethylene and propylene closed due to separate fires within a week of each other. Between Dec. 20-23, separate fires at the company’s Antwerp, Belgium, plant and one of its Ludwigshafen, Germany, plants.

BASF has another steam cracker for the materials in Ludwigshafen, as well ones in Nanjing, China, and Port Arthur, Texas, US.

The Antwerp plant is one of the biggest liquid crackers in the world with the ability to produce more than 1 million tonnes of ethylene annually. It also produces about 600,000 tons of propylene.

Just three days before the company’s first fire, BASF announced that Vincent Gros will succeed Klaus Welsch as BASF crop protection regional business unit Europe. His official tenure began Jan. 1, but his trial by fire might have begun prior to the new year.

Vincent Gros has an engineering degree in agricultural sciences from the ENSA in Montpellier. He joined BASF France in 1992 in the Agro Division and held different executive positions in BASF Horticulture and Jardin SA. In 2001 he joined BASF Agro as Head of Value Chain Management Agro France before he took over his recent position in 2005. With his strong industry experience and expertise in Agriculture he is well prepared to further enhance BASF presence in the European Crop Protection arena.