INEOS Phenol is pleased to announce with a great deal of pride and accomplishment, that in less than four months dating back to our incident of September 9, the Mobile plant is back in operation. Initial finished product was produced as we entered into the New Year. Over the last few weeks, we have been methodically increasing production in order to test the new unit. We are pleased to report that we have established the confidence and reliability to operate the plant at full rates and our production going forward will be based on market demand. Accordingly, INEOS Phenol will be lifting the Force Majeure declaration issued in September 2002 and will return to conventional operations.
It is great to have all three sites fully operational! As the global market leader for phenol and acetone, our objectives for this challenging period were to rebuild and restart the unit as quickly as possible, while maintaining safety as our number one priority. Simultaneously, our objectives were also focused on supplying our customers to maintain the continuity of their business. We are aware that these ambitious objectives were considered virtually unachievable by many experts in the industry. However, thanks to the hard work of many people including the global INEOS Phenol team, our contractor, KBR, and last but not least, our customers, all objectives were accomplished. As we look back on our experience of the past four months, we have been able to demonstrate the strength of our global production and logistics network. We have also witnessed what partners can accomplish when working together towards a common goal.
As we embark into the New Year, we want to take the opportunity to thank our customers for their support, cooperation and loyalty. Our commitment to them is stronger than ever.
In addition, we would like to thank the local community and suppliers for their patience and understanding during the past 4 months. Our employees have been on the job during this period diligently working to ensure that safety and the environment remain uncompromised as we resume operations.
We look forward to a successful 2003 with all our business partners.
Mobile Plant Back in Operation - Force Majeure Lifted
