Operations at Coromandel International Ltd.’s Ennore site near Chennai in India’s southern Tamil Nadu state remain suspended following an ammonia gas leak late on Dec. 26, which resulted in at least 57 people being hospitalized. The leak occurred in the ammonia unloading subsea pipeline, which is used to transport liquid ammonia from ships to the plant premises.
The Hindu Business Line newspaper, citing a company statement, reported that Coromandel noticed the abnormality just before midnight on Dec. 26, and “the gas leak was plugged within 20 minutes by specialists.” Tamil Nadu state officials ordered all manufacturing activities at the site to be suspended with the exception of the sulfuric acid unit, which couldn’t be immediately shut down.
As of Dec. 31, the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board had yet to provide permission to Coromandel to resume operations after ordering the company to ensure all ammonia pipelines inside the plant are “intact and safe.” The company is also required to obtain all necessary approvals from the Directorate of Industrial Safety and Health (DISH), Tamil Nadu Maritime Board, and the Indian Register of Shipping before restarting operations at the Ennore site.
Coromandel also operates fertilizer production facilities in Kakinada and Visakhapatnam in the bordering Andhra Pradesh state.