Tropical Storm Fred is moving toward Florida, bringing sustained winds of 40 64 km/hour, the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) said. As of Wednesday afternoon, the storm’s center was about 120 km west-northwest of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. It was moving northwestward at 24 km/hour.
The US Gulf is a hub for chemical production, which has faced disruptions from hurricanes in previous years. Most of the chemical plants are on the western half of the region and are unlikely to be impacted by Tropical Storm Fred, assuming it stays on its current projected path. However, chemical supply chains are dependent on port accessibility. The Port of Tampa, Florida, has initiated Condition Whiskey, meaning tropical storm or hurricane predicted to make landfall within 72 hours.
Among chemical facilities in Florida are Ascend Performance Materials complex in Pensacola, which produces nylon 6,6, adipic acid, and hexamethylenediamine (HMD); Huntsman International’s site in Pensacola, which produces maleic anhydride; Hexion’s plant in Lakeland, which produces epoxy resins and phenolic resins.
