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Kuwait Petroleum Rotterdam Plant Operating After Blaze | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
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AMSTERDAM,(Reuters) – Production operations at Kuwait Petroleum’s refinery in Rotterdam continued on Saturday amid clean-up work after a blaze forced the shutdown of a sulphur extraction plant on Friday, a company spokesman said.

Fire broke out one of the refinery’s desulphurisation units, used to extract sulphur for the production of diesel, at 0830 GMT on Friday and was not extinguished until 0100 GMT on Saturday, the state-owned Kuwait Petroleum said in a statement.

The company said no one was injured and gas measurements from Dutch authorities indicated there was no risk to public health.

“We are now cleaning the site and we are ensuring there is safe access for the investigation team,” spokesman Adrian Polak said, adding that the cause of the blaze is not yet known.

He declined to estimate the extent of damages or say whether the fire will slow the refinery’s production.

“We have more than one desulphurisation unit, so there are alternatives,” he said.

Dutch news agency ANP reported police saying there was a loud bang or explosion at the site, but Polak said the noise could have been made by pressure escaping out of the high-pressure unit.

The Kuwait Petroleum plant in Rotterdam refines Kuwait crude oil and semifinished products. The company also has a research laboratory at the Rotterdam plant.