Rail strikes in Germany and France are disrupting deliveries of chemical supplies.

Rail strikes taking place in Germany and France are continuing to disrupt European chemical supplies, according to a report by global chemical news service ICIS.

The strikes began in Germany yesterday when freight drivers staged a mass walk-out and are expected to last 62 hours.

The country’s rail operator Deutsche Bahn has described them the worst in the country’s history and said it fears the consequences of prolonged action.

Meanwhile, the rail network in neighbouring France has been shut down for the past two days.

Due to the unavailability of products because of the strikes, one methanol buyer told ICIS it had reduced output to 80% at its facility in Germany, adding that it took three trucks to deliver one rail car’s worth of material.
 
Many other chemical companies in France and Germany have reported similar reductions in output, delivery delays and stock depletions.

By Natasha Piscitelli