ZWIJNDRECHT, 16 October 2000 - Van Leeuwen Buizen and ABB Lummus Global have signed a contract worth more than EUR 10 million for the supply of pipes, pipe components and accompanying services for the construction of the PO-11 chemical plant at Maasvlakte near Rotterdam.

The building of the plant has been commissioned by Lyondell and is expected to be taken into use in 2003. It is the second PO plant in the Netherlands for this international chemical concern. In the future the new plant is intended to produce 285,000 tons of propylene oxide and 640,000 tons of styrene monomer per year.

Van Leeuwen Buizen is responsible for the entire logistics process, from purchase to ultimate delivery in Rotterdam of all carbon, alloy and stainless steel pipes and pipe components. The order involves a total of 8,000 tons of material. The contract also includes services such as inspection, expediting, certification and transportation of the material. Van Leeuwen will shortly be stationing a project team at the offices of ABB Lummus Global in The Hague (the Netherlands) for the performance of the contract.

The PO-11 contract is the fifth project of this order of magnitude in three years that Van Leeuwen has carried out for the globally operating engineering consultancy and contractor, and continues the successful collaboration with ABB Lummus Global in earlier projects, including in Kemya (Saudi Arabia) and Seraya (Singapore).

The first deliveries will be made in mid-December 2000. In addition to Van Leeuwen Buizen in Zwijndrecht, the sister company Van Leeuwen Stainless in Beesd will also be brought in for the implementation of the project.

Van Leeuwen Buizen

Van Leeuwen Buizen is a Dutch subsidiary of the Van Leeuwen Pipe and Tube Group, a globally operating inventory-holding trading company specializing in steel pipes, valves and fittings. The Group operates in virtually all industrial sectors.

The originally Dutch company was founded in 1924 and now has an extensive network of locations spread throughout the economic core areas of Europe, North and Central America, Asia and Australia. The Group has a total of 45 locations, the majority of which hold inventories ranging from carbon and alloy steel to stainless steel. With 1,500 employees and a turnover of NLG 1.4 billion, the Van Leeuwen Pipe and Tube Group is one of the largest international players in its field.

For further information please contact:

Van Leeuwen Pipe and Tube Group
- Addr: Lindtsedijk 20 3336 LE Zwijndrecht , Netherlands
- Tel: +31 78 6252525
- Fax: +1 78 6252027
- WWW: http://www.vanleeuwen.nl/
- Email.
- Contact: Public Relations Department