Editorial

Dear Readers,

As the year approaches its end, many countries all over the world are going through their second period of lockdown: no public gatherings, entertainment venues will be closed, and most office work should be done from home. The quiet days will be even quieter, but unlike in spring, operations will mostly continue in manufacturing industries—with the exception of the traditional holiday break.

This certainly applies to steel mills, most of which send their staff home for a fortnight or longer, using the time for maintenance and repair work. Such scheduled downtimes ideally mean work for plant builders.

In the long run, after-sale service activities will be a growing business for many engineering companies. SMS group has already signalled that it expects to make one-third of its revenue with services by 2025. In November, the privately-owned company held a public press conference—online, of course—in which it revealed more of its ideas for the 2020s.

Shipbuilding is one of the steel-using sectors affected most dramatically by the COVID-19 lockdowns. Cruise liners have become a no-go area, so many construction projects have been halted. Over the autumn months, construction of utility vessels has recovered. Shipbuilding will remain a market, and we will hear from Dansteel about the requirements for plate steel in the industry. We will also learn about the collaboration on demanding bridge projects between Dillinger (another plate mill) and a fabricator.

Stay healthy & have a merry Christmas.

Christian Köhl Editor in Chief, MPT International

12

Players of the European steel industry on the virtual stage

NEWS

6

International Industry Tata Steel Europe, Ilva, Liberty Steel, and more

7

Orders & Commissionings CSN, Valbruna, Big River Steel, HBIS, Outokumpu, and others

BUSINESS & COMPANIES

10

SMS group eyes restructuring and further acquisitions in tough 2021 The group is stepping up its services and digitalisation activities

12

On the Virtual Floor: Kallanish’s European Steel Markets 2020 Most event organisers have moved the physical meeting to a virtual platform Plus: an overview of blast furnaces in Europe, operational and idled

METALLURGY

14

Ways to Reduce CO2 Emissions in Iron and Steel Making in Europe A comprehensive overview of Carbon Direct Avoidance, CO2 Capture&Storage, and Carbon Capture&Usage technologies at European mills

20

41

Integrated Temperature Model (ITM) – Part I A model of SMS group considers the interaction of the individual process steps in hot strip making with respect to the temperature profile

Dansteel: Manufacturing Plates Used in Shipbuilding and Offshore The Danish steelmaker tells about new variants of chemical compositions and production technology for the manufacturing of steel heavy plates with a thickness of up to 55 mm

SPECIAL: A CHRISTMAS CAVALCADE

28

Special Coating Protects Steel from Hydrogen ‘Attack’

28

28

DB Cargo secures major order from ArcelorMittal Eisenhüttenstadt

Netherlands open recycling plant for contaminated steel scrap

13

The status quo of blast furnaces in Europe: an overview

MARKETS / PLATE

45

Shipbuilding in Times of Covid-19: A Light in the Far East? The interruptions of cruise ship tourism and in international transport chains caused by the COVID-19 pandemic brought many shipyards to a halt

FABRICATION / PLATE

46

A Clear Edge Innovative weld-edge preparation for a major steel-arched bridge in the Netherlands

OPINION / A THOUGHT FOR THE ROAD

49

Potential Impact of COVID-19 on Steel Industry Trends Some observations by Baris Bekir Çiftçi of Worldsteelorg on the accelerated speed of change

COLUMNS

3

Editorial

50

In the next issue / Advertisers’ index / Imprint

45

C-19 means rough times for shipyards

COVER STORY:

A major bridge project in the Port of Rotterdam carried out by Hollandia and Dillinger Hütte | 46

Source: Hollandia Infra