Steelmaking in Scunthorpe will continue as the Government
confirmed the arrival of a new shipment of raw materials today
this weekend – bolstering the UK's national security by
protecting the vital capability of domestic steel production.
A shipment of over 55,000 tonnes of blast furnace coke – more
than four times the weight of the Shard – from Bluescope Steel's
plant in Australia arrived at Immingham Bulk Terminal today on
the MV (merchant vessel) Navios Alegria. It will now be
transferred by rail to Scunthorpe.
The coke is crucial to helping ensure both blast furnaces at
British Steel can keep running for the coming months and a vital
part of efforts to provide a steady pipeline of materials for
continued steelmaking.
Another shipment of more than 66,000 tonnes of iron ore pellets
and 27,000 tonnes of iron ore fines is due to arrive from Sweden
next week, and has been paid for directly by government using
existing DBT budgets – as part of this government's commitment to
backing UK industry to succeed.
In further efforts to shore up the company, British Steel has
confirmed two more crucial appointments to its leadership team
with a new interim Chief Operating Officer and HR Director, both
of whom have more than 30 years' experience in the steel
industry.
Business Secretary said:
This government is on the side of British workers and British
industry. The action we've taken to secure primary steelmaking at
Scunthorpe will not only support our national security but help
our steel sector supply the construction of the homes and
infrastructure of the future, as part of our Plan for Change.
By securing the raw materials we need to keep Scunthorpe going
for the foreseeable future we've helped protect thousands of
crucial steel jobs. Now, British Steel workers and their families
can breathe a sigh of relief and know that we are on their side.
Allan Bell, Interim CEO of British Steel said:
We've successfully secured the raw materials we need to keep the
blast furnaces running, meaning our production of steel can
continue. We would not be here today without the hard work and
dedication of our specialist procurement, technical and
operational teams who have worked tirelessly on short timescales
to secure the required raw materials.
Over the coming months our focus will be on stabilising our
operations for the long-term, cementing British Steel as one of
the world's leading manufacturers of steel.
Community Assistant General Secretary Alasdair McDiarmid
said:
The imminent shipments of coke and other raw materials needed to
keep the blast furnaces running over the months ahead provide
much-needed assurance for our members on site in Scunthorpe. We
are grateful to British Steel and the government for the decisive
work they have undertaken to secure a future for the business -
we have seen their commitment and dedication first-hand.
After years of neglect, we now have a UK Government which
understands the vital strategic importance of steel, and is
backing this up with action.
The latest delivery of vital raw materials reinforces the UK's
primary steelmaking capacity by ensuring both blast furnaces at
Scunthorpe can remain operational and gives certainty to the
workforce of around 3,000 employed at the steelworks.
It also comes after British Steel announced earlier this week
that it has ended a consultation on staff redundancies launched
in March by its owners Jingye, and confirmed it would keep both
blast furnaces running, securing thousands of jobs thanks to the
Government's decisive action to step in and save the company.
Now that the necessary supplies of raw materials for the blast
furnaces have been confirmed, the Government is continuing to
focus on securing the long-term future of British Steel with
private sector investment, working closely with a range of third
parties on potential options.
