13,000 tonnes of Styrene evacuated to South Korea from Visakhapatnam amid gas leak

The evacuation process of Styrene monomer gas to south Korea was started at the LG Polymers Company in Visakhapatnam on the orders of Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy. This was revealed by Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy in a video conference. The collector said the gas leak caused the tank to be at 73 degrees centigrade and is currently safe. The styrene in the tank is also 100% polymerized, he said. However, another 5 tanks over 13,000 tonnes of styrene, which is leftover are said to be moved to South Korea on the orders of Chief Minister Jagan.

About 8,000 tonnes are currently being flown to South Korea by vessel, the collector said. The collector further said that it is fortunate to have another vessel, which can return the remaining 5 thousand tonnes of styrene to South Korea. "The process is expected to be completed in the next 4 to 5 days; the top-level team had taken a close look at the company and was working on a plan to evacuate the styrene gas, " the collector said.

Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, on the other hand, has ordered the officials to carry out inspections not only in Visakhapatnam but also in the rest of the state. He said that the protocols must be followed in the industry. At the same time, it is suggested to consider shifting of the hazardous industries from the public areas. He also noted that the views of the committees of the central government in the wake of the Visakhapatnam gas leak disaster should also be considered.