TPT March 2015

82 / 108

80 March 2015
Global Marketplace
Chinese steel exporters had been adding boron to some of
their steel products to qualify for the now-expired rebate,
which ran as high as 13 per cent on product for sale overseas.
But, as reported by Bloomberg News (5 January), Ms Hu said
producers may continue to receive the rebate by incorporating
chromium instead of boron into their steel.
› CBC News (Ottawa) reported 15 January that US Steel
Canada (USSC) planned to restart the coke ovens at
its Hamilton (Ontario) operations and re-employ some 77
employees laid off last autumn when the company declared
bankruptcy and “hot idled” the plant. Work was to resume
in March when a steady supply of American coal could be
transported through the Welland Canal, navigable again after
the winter.
› The Canadian government has signed an order blocking
the state of Alaska from updating a ferry terminal on
Canadian soil in British Columbia in a dispute over the steel
to be used in the project. The site, at a port that is part of the
Alaska Marine Highway System, is leased by the state. The
major contribution to the construction budget is expected to
come from the US Federal Highway Administration, which has
“Buy America” requirements for steel, iron, and manufactured
products used in projects it funds. The remainder would come
from the state of Alaska.
Canadian officials maintain that Canadian metal suppliers
should not be excluded from bidding on the work; but the
governor of Alaska, Bill Walker, has declined to seek a waiver
of the “Buy America” provision. The state, which faces multi-
billion-dollar budget deficits deriving from the plunge in oil
prices, is not well positioned to fund the project on its own.
In a statement on 19 January, Canada’s minister of
international trade, Ed Fast, called the application of “Buy
America” provisions on Canadian soil an “affront to Canadian
sovereignty.” And there the matter stands.
› The prospective purchase by Esmark Inc (Sewickley,
Pennsylvania) of a former US Steel Corp plant in Serbia
advanced a step with the announcement by the Serbian
government that the flat-rolled steel processor and distributor
submitted the only valid bid for the money-losing Zelezara
Smederevo steelworks. Serbia is trying to offload Zelezara
Smederevo as it seeks to rein in its budget deficit and public
debt under a new loan deal with the International Monetary
Fund.
As reported by John D Oravecz in the Pittsburgh Tribune-
Review (10 January), Esmark CEO James P Bouchard met
with Serbian government leaders in London in October and
committed to bidding for the operations, about 30 miles
southeast of Belgrade, under a newly formed subsidiary,
Esmark Europe.
Mr Bouchard had previously told Tanjug, the Serbian state
news agency, that Esmark is prepared to invest $400 million in
the plant over the next few years and that it would not lay off
any of the 5,000-strong workforce.
Dr. Linsinger-Str. 24, 4662 Steyrermuehl, Austria
Tel. +43 7613 88 40, Fax +43 7613 88 40-951,
E-Mail:
w w w . l i n s i n g e r . c o m
Focus on advanced Milling and
Bevelling Machines for Tube Mills
Plate Edge Milling Machine PFM
Pipe End Bevelling Machine RFM
– Welding edge preperation with highest accuray
– Vertical copying milling unit
- High cutting performance with low tool costs
- Milling unit useable with profile milling tools
Plate Edge Milling Machine PFM
Pipe End Bevelling Machine RFM
– Bevelling of API profile on
both pipe ends simultaneously
– Only one operator needed
– Short bevelling time
– Tools with high lives
– Minimum burr on inside and outside
– Rigid construction
Tube_and_Pipe_180x125 märz 2015_v3.indd 1 21.01.2015 11:29:30