Mittal restores operations at Indiana plant

Mittal Steel USA announced Tuesday that it has fully restored steel making operations at the No. 3 basic oxygen shop at its Indiana Harbor plant in East Chicago, Indiana. Complete automated operation of both furnace vessels was achieved Mar. 28, one month after the fire that severely damaged the facility. The shop ceased operations Feb. 28 after a ladle fell unexpectedly and dumped more than 200 tons of molten iron to the shop floor. Initial estimates were that the fire would result in the shop losing 300,000 tons of steel making capacity. However, recovery has been rapid due to coordination of the company's other operations, reducing the total loss to 200,000 tons. "I would like to thank our customers for working with us to minimize the impact of the fire," said Louis L. Schorsch, president and CEO. Mr. Schorsch continued, “Through the outstanding efforts of our employees at Indiana Harbor – as well as at other facilities that stepped up to help compensate for the loss in production capability -- we have been able to restore full production much more effectively than originally expected. Our sister operations outside the USA also pitched in, confirming the value of our being part of the world's first truly global steel company.” Mittal reported that no one was hurt, and investigations of the fire by management and the United Steelworkers are ongoing. The company expects the damage and losses associated with business disruption to be covered by insurance.