BASF Declares FM for Certain Acrylic Products

Citing disruption of supply due to the Oct. 17 explosion and fire at its Ludwigshafen, Germany, main site, BASF has declared force majeure for acrylic monomer-based dispersions, dispersion powders and hotmelts produced at Ludwigshafen as well as Tarragona, Spain. The group said limited access to raw material supply due to plants being off stream has led to low product inventories and restricted output of the products, which were otherwise not affected by the accident.

Although one of the site’s two steam crackers has resumed operation, along with a number of the other plants shut down in the aftermath of the fire, BASF said its product inventories “are nearly exhausted, and production output is restricted, due to still-limited access to key raw materials.” At the same time, with Ludwigshafen’s North Harbor – where the blast occurred – still inaccessible, delivery by barge, rail or tank car is also limited.

While it is unclear how long the current situation will last, BASF said it 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.