Steel Mills

US Steel Gary Works & Great Lakes Update
Written by John Packard
April 10, 2014
Because of the severity of the curtailment of steelmaking at US Steel Gary Works and the shut down of steelmaking operations at USS Great Lakes we feel it is important to update our readers and the greater steel community as to what we have learned over the past 48 hours.
First, Great Lakes steelmaking operations – which include their blast furnaces and BOP’s (basic oxygen process or BOF’s) – continue to be idle and are not producing any steel. Our understanding is US Steel is continuing to work through a number of issues which are impacting the repairs needed. USS had no new comments today regarding the situation at Great Lakes.
As you will see from another article we have produced in tonight’s issue of Steel Market Update, we have begun tracking the ice, ice breakers and individual vessels in order to gain a better understanding of the situation in the upper Great Lakes and specifically between Duluth and Two Harbors, Minnesota past Sault Ste Marie and the narrow pathways between the United States and Canada and into Lake Michigan where they can continue to Gary Works. At the moment we are aware of a convoy of 5 ships heading to the Minnesota ports to load. Once loaded they will be guided back by the United States Coast Guard and the Canadian ice breakers. We do not yet know how many of these 5 vessels will be carrying iron ore for Gary Works.
We have learned from outside sources that Gary Works is now running two blast furnaces although at reduced capacities. When we last reported on Tuesday evening the mill was only running one blast furnace at reduced capacity.
Steel Market Update will continue to follow the progress of US Steel and their two afflicted mills. If something should happen of significance on a non-publishing day or over the weekend we will post it online for our readers and if truly important we will provide a special issue on the subject.

John Packard
Read more from John PackardLatest in Steel Mills

USW seeks clarity on plans for Granite City Works
The United Steelworkers union has asked U.S. Steel to elaborate on its Granite City Works plans following reports that the steelmaker is ending processing at the facility.

Nucor maintains plate prices, opens October order book
Nucor aims to keep plate prices flat for a seventh straight month with the opening of its October order book.

ArcelorMittal Mexico to import from sister mills as it works to resume DRI production
ArcelorMittal has partially restarted operations at its direct reduction plant in Lazaro Cardenas, Michoacan. An explosion on Aug. 18 rocked the massive steelworks on Mexico’s Pacific coast, impacting production of direct-reduced iron (DRI).

Fall maintenance outages are coming in hot
Labor Day has passed, the sun is starting to set a little earlier each day, and cooler weather has begun to find its way down to many of us across North America. And you know what that means for the steel industry… Fall maintenance outages!

AISI: Domestic steel production ticks up
US raw steel production ticked up in the week ending on Sept. 6 after a decrease the week before, according to the most recent data from the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI).