India to China: SAIL’s Bhilai steel plant exports cast slabs to China

Bhilai, Chhattisgarh: Bhilai Steel Plant (BSP) of Steel Authority of India (SAIL) is exporting cast slabs to China. Plant's Steel Melting Shop-2 (SMS 2) that supplies cast blooms to Rail & Strl Mill and Universal Rail Mill and cast slabs to the plant's plate mill is now also exporting cast slabs to China. The plant said that the export order for 30,000 tonnes of cast slabs of Grade JS-SS400 was received on May 21. In the month of May 2020 itself, SMS 2 produced 10,232 tonnes of cast slabs for export.

Production, loading and despatch of cast slabs continue in the month of June 2020. So far, about 24,000 tonnes of this export-grade has already been produced. Depending on the availability of rakes from Indian Railways because of restrictions of movement in Vizag port under the present circumstances of Corona threat, about 8250-T of cast slabs have so far been dispatched in 129 wagons.

In addition to this, Bhilai Steel Plant is also exporting cast billets produced in Steel Melting Shop 3 (SMS-3) to China and other Asian countries. After fulfilling two orders of 20,000 tone each of 150×150 mm size billets from China in the months of April and May 2020, despatches against fresh order of 20,000 tones of 150×150 mm size billets had begun. So far about 44,500 tones of 150×150 mm size billets have been exported to China.

Also, SAIL-BSP had received two new orders of 10,000 tonnes each and another order of 5000 tonnes of 105×105 mm size cast billets produced in SMS-3. These 105×105 mm size cast billets consignments are being despatched to an Asian port from where it would be despatched to overseas customers. Customers of 105×105 mm size cast billets have demanded that the billets to be despatched in bundles, for which packets of six billets are being made. A team from Blooming and Billet Mill comprising full brigade of crane operators along with the ground crew have been working hard to neatly arrange the bundles of cast billets in Billet Yard and loading them onto wagons after pocketing for despatch.

Despatches against the first of the two orders for 105×105 mm size cast billets were begun on May 21. So far, about 16,200 T of the 105×105 mm size cast billets have been exported. Despatches are being affected due to availability of rakes from Indian Railways because of restrictions of movement in Vizag port under the present circumstances of Corona threat.

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