Russia’s military attack on Ukraine continues to have a severe effect, specifically on the country’s infrastructure and industries. On February 24, Ukraine-based Metinvest officially announced on 17:30 Kiev time that it has decided to suspend the operations at some equipment of Illyich Iron and Steel Works and Azovstal. The decision was made by the company’s response center in order to ensure the safety of its employees and preserve the equipment.
According to the official statement, the plants will use up hot metal and steel, available in February 24, and then the operations will be put on hold. Azovstal will suspend the work in coke shop, recovery and desulphurization shop, blast furnace shop, BOF shop, plate mill, rail and structural mill, lime shop and slag processing shop. In its turn, Illyich Iron and Steel Works will stop operations at the sinter plant, blast furnace and BOF shops, 1700 HSM and 3000 plate mill, and the cold rolling mill. The equipment will be suspended for seven days and the restart will be scheduled according to the situation development.
As a result, along with the stoppage of earlier announced ArcelorMittal Kryviy Rih and also taking into account that the impossibility to evaluate when the situation in Ukraine comes to normal, the shipments of the key steel products inside and outside the country will be certainly disrupted for some time. Specifically, the matter concerns pig iron, steel billet and slabs, and various flat products.