LUDWIGSHAFEN, Germany – Due to the October 17 fire, which took place at the North Harbor at BASF SE in Ludwigshafen, Germany, BASF announced it has to declare force majeure on deliveries of dispersions, dispersion powders and hotmelts on acrylic monomer basis (Acronal®, acResin®, Acrodur®, ACROSOL® E 20 D, AQAGloss®, Basonal®, Col.9®, Epotal® and Luhydran®) from BASF sites in Ludwigshafen, Germany, and Tarragona, Southern Catalonia, Spain, until further notice.
While the plants for the above mentioned products are not affected by the incident, impacts on logistics as well as raw materials are happening. Due to the fire, the raw material supply of the steam crackers was halted, and other Verbund plants were idled or production reduced. Many plants, such as one of the steam crackers, have resumed operations in the meantime.
The company reported that as of October 31, product inventories were nearly exhausted, and the production output is restricted due to still-limited access to key raw materials. Under the current circumstances, a delivery via barge, rail or tank car is also limited.
BASF is currently not able to specify how long this situation will last. Meanwhile, the company is implementing measures to limit the consequences for its customers and will continuously inform them about the development and the details regarding the supply capability with the affected products.
The Dispersions & Pigments division of BASF develops, produces and markets a range of pigments, resins, additives and polymer dispersions worldwide. These raw materials are used in formulations for coatings and paints, printing and packaging products, construction chemicals, adhesives, fiber bondings, plastics, paper, and electronic applications such as displays.
