Belgian Gunpowder Plant Blows Up , Vihtavuori to dry up?

[ultramagbrion]

Just a heads up , I saw this on another board and figured I pass the word ....

http://bearingarms.com/will-a-belgian-gunpowder-plant-explosion-affect-the-u-s-ammo-market/

PB Clermont, the Belgian subsidiary of EURENCO which claims to have “one of the largest spherical powder production capacities in the world for small and medium calibre ammunition” experienced a significant explosion this past Friday afternoon after most employees had gone home for the day..........

s n i p

............But when you start looking at who partners with PB Clarmont, and who the company supplies with gunpowder, and things start getting much more interesting. PB Clarmont supplies powder under their own name, and also apparently supplies powder for Alliant, Barnual, Bofors, and Vihtavuori (Bofors, and Vihtavuor are both part of EURENCO).

How soon the company will be able to replace the lost production capability, and what this may mean to the already stretched-thin U.S. ammo market is unknown at this time.

Bearing Arms attempted to contact ATK Sporting Group (maker of Federal Premium, CCI, Fusion, Speer Ammo, Estate Catridge, and Blazer lines of ammunition, as well as supplier of Alliant Powder) for comment via both telephone and email earlier, and have received no response. .



Purchase and plan accordingly :-[

 

[mshelton]

Inc Hoardmania round 2, VV boogaloo.

 

[ultramagbrion]

What was the actual date/time of this explosion?
Reason asking, there was one a while back, and hoping it is the same one being referred to now in error.

Last Friday , according to the story

 

[ultramagbrion]

Inc Hoardmania round 2, VV boogaloo.

;D I laughed . . .

 

[ultramagbrion]

I read it to say Friday as well.... but doesn't say which Friday.
The explosion sometime back happened on a Friday as well and article read with similarity, if memory serves me right.

hmm.........it may very well be . I dunno

It's the first Ive heard of anything aside from the Winchester plant explosion a few weeks ago .(nothing major , just propane tanks n a separate storage location)

That was on a Sunday
http://www.kmov.com/news/local/Fire-breaks-out-at-East-Alton-ammunition-plant-244620561.html

 

[KMart]

Wasn't the plant that blew up about a year ago in Finland?

 

[LHSmith]

If you google "Belgian Powder Plant Explosion" all you get is reference to Bearing Arms blog which tells you very little. If you google "Finnish Powder Plant Explosion" you get several independent news references to the explosion of an out-building at the powder plant in the town of Vihtavhori last July which never reached the actual powder plant.....I believe the daily Bulletin even covered the story. IMHO- old news.
Just the same, I would stock up on powder regardless due to the actions of those currently calling the shots in DC.

 

[Valar]

Friday but beleive I saw 1 building out of 107 ? Damage such as windows to some other structure. I hope the powder crises doesnt get much worse. We will all be loading pyrodex!

 

[stool]

didn't vv just get out from under that team and back under home ....

 

[KMart]

Here is info on the 2013 incident

26 March 2013 - Belgium

Province of Liège, Engis, Clermont-sous-Huy. Groupe SNPE: PB Clermont SA. An explosion occurred around 04:30 at the TB Clermont powder mill, in the area where propellants are made for infantry rifle cartridges. Three employees of the powder factory were hospitalised: two suffered se-rious burns, and the third suffered from breathing fumes.
An official inquiry was open, and the work inspec-tor from Huy said that according to preliminary in-vestigation, the accident occurred in a screening unit powder intended for infantry ammunition. Of the two workers who were badly burned in the se-cond and third degrees, one was taken to University Hospital of Liège and the other to the burn centre of the IMTR Loverval.
The workplace auditor asked for the intervention of an inspector controller FPS Economy Engis in the factory. This will determine the causes of the accident and verify or exclude any criminal liability of the employer. According to the inspector: “There could have been a problem mounting a screen, caus-ing a spark when the screen rubbed another piece of metal, and an explosion ensued.” However, this is a first hypothesis and has to be verified.
On April 3, it was announced that one of the workers had died. The other worker remained in an artificially induced coma. His state was reported as “stable, but critical”.

http://www.msiac.nato.int/news/accidents-reporting/2013