Turkish Steel Mills Suspending Operations After Earthquake

Christopher Rivituso | Posted on February 21, 2023 |

Several steel mills in central and southern Turkey have suspended operations, declaring force majeure. The decision comes after two earthquakes struck those areas and Syria on February 6. Flats and longs producer Isdemir, in Iskenderun, Hatay Province, said in a February 13 announcement that it is currently performing assessments.

"Production has been suspended until the work is completed," plant representatives stated. They later added "developments on the subject will be shared with the public in the coming days,"

The İsdemir facility can produce up to 5.3 million metric tons per year of crude steel, which it casts into slab and billet throughout their various steel mills. It can also roll hot rolled coil, plate, and wire rod, and uses some of its billet for commercial sales. The facility boasts four blast furnaces and three 200-metric-ton basic oxygen furnaces.

Istanbul-headquartered Tosçelik has also reportedly stopped operations, one source told MetalMiner. That company produces hot rolled coil, pipe, hollow sections, and commercial billet. Its primary assets sit at the cities of Osmaniye and Iskenderun.

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The two earthquakes each had magnitudes of over 7 and have so far claimed more than 43,000 lives across Turkey and Syria. The first jolt struct on February 7 at 4:17 am local time just west of Gaziantep. This resulted in widespread damage in multiple cities and towns. The second quake occurred at 1:24 pm near the city of Kahramanmaraş.

Workers at longs producer Baştuğ Metallurgy, also in Osmaniye, stated on the company's website that they currently do not have access to offices, including offices within their steel mills. This is largely due to the state of emergency declared by the Turkish government. However, it was unclear at the time of this writing whether any operations were continuing.

Baştuğ has one electric arc furnace with an annual crude steel capacity of 2 million metric tons. From here, it can cast billet in 130x130mm and 200x200mm dimensions on a seven-strand continuous casting machine.

That machine can also cast ingot in 400x400mm dimensions and B1- and B2-type dog bones. Meanwhile, Baştuğ's rolling mill can produce up to 1.25 million metric tons of rebar and round bar per year in 8-40mm diameters.

Longs producers Yazici Iron & Steel and Ekinciler Iron & Steel Companies are also in Iskenderun. Their heir current status remains unclear on their steel mills.

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