ARABI, LA – American Sugar Refining, Inc., owner of the Chalmette Refinery and member of ASR Group, announces the refinery is producing its full range of products, and the company will continue its service to customers.
The Chalmette Refinery, located in Arabi, was offline for four days following a fire in its silos on August 27, but it was able to begin limited production on September 1.
The refinery restarted its full refining operations, including the production of white granulated sugar, on September 3.
“First and foremost, we are grateful that our safety protocols ensured no injuries occurred,” said Luis Fernandez, Co-President of ASR Group. “We are also tremendously pleased with the response from our employees in Louisiana who overcame a major challenge at the Chalmette Refinery and began producing our signature products within days. Likewise, we are proud of our teams across North America who worked quickly to ensure that we were able to service our customers and fulfill orders from other locations within our network.”
Because the fire was limited to the two exterior silos and due to the fact that the majority of the refinery’s products are shipped to customers or outside warehouses as they are produced, the refinery will continue operating during repairs. To meet customer demand, the refinery will increase operating days in the interim.
“At ASR Group, our mission is to be a reliable provider of quality products that our customers can count on,” said Antonio L. Contreras, Co-President of ASR Group. “We are committed to seamlessly supplying our customers throughout this period. Using the flexibility in our operating schedule at the Chalmette Refinery coupled with the continued supply from our strong network, we expect to meet customer demand until the refinery returns to full capacity.”
All of the Chalmette Refinery’s 420 employees returned to the facility on August 31.