A huge fire broke out at an industrial park near Rotterdam, setting off chemical explosions, releasing toxic smoke and disrupting shipping between Rotterdam (Hollands' second-biggest city) and Antwerp. Rotterdam supplies raw materials for Antwerp's petrochemical industry.
The fire started at a Chemie-Pack chemical plant in the Moerdijk industrial zone triggered by unknown causes. Shipping traffic at the Hollands Diep river, close to the Moerdijk area, was halted, but the impact on traffic between Rotterdam and Antwerp was limited. The petrochemical complexes of Antwerp and Rotterdam are linked by pipeline and an inland waterway. Royal Dutch Shell's refinery, located two 2 km from the burning chemical plant is unaffected.
06-Jan-11 
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