Sabic (Riyadh / Saudi Arabia; www.sabic-europe.com) has shut down its LDPE production line in Wilton / UK due to "unexpected issues" leading to a breakdown of the plant. According to a customer letter dated 11 February 2019, Sabic also declared force majeure for supply from this facility since the reasons for the failure were caused by events beyond the company's control. It is working on resolving the situation as soon as possible to minimise the impact on customers, but further details are not yet known.

According to Plasteurope.com's Polyglobe database (www.polyglobe.net), the Wilton site has an LDPE capacity of 400,000 t/y. It is considered one of the key facilities for the Western European market, where it accounts for nearly 7% of capacity. Currently, there are no disruptions reported from other plants in the region.