Cristal Global Announces Force Majeure

Cristal Global announces today that it is declaring Force Majeure with respect to all products manufactured at its Stallingborough, UK TiO2 production facility as the result of a March 5, 2010 incident that forced the facility to suspend operations.

The incident is under investigation to determine the root cause. In addition to our full cooperation and involvement with the investigation, we will actively carry out repairs to the damaged units once the investigation is completed and the Government Regulator’s consent is obtained. The plant will remain shut down until we are confident that we can restart and operate safely.

At this time, we cannot predict the duration or effect of the Force Majeure event but it is our hope that normal production rates will resume as soon as possible. However, until further notice, the Force Majeure will remain in effect.

We appreciate the patience and understanding of our business partners as we manage through this production disruption caused by events outside our reasonable control.