greatlakesshipwatchers.com

If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to our RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!

BY ANDREA HOLECEK | Source: NWI Times

ArcelorMittal will begin a $100 million reline of its 39-year-old “D” blast furnace at its Burns Harbor plant beginning Sept. 25, company officials said.

The long-postponed reline will take about two and a half months with its restart expected for mid December.

ArcelorMittal is relining the furnace “for improved safety, reliability, productivity and energy efficiency,” according to a company statement.

The refractory brick in a blast furnace’s interior is replaced during a reline. The brick absorbs the heat from the molten metal inside the furnace protecting its walls. Ideally, furnaces are relined every decade, industry experts say.

The “D” furnace, which produces 700 tons of hot iron daily, was built in 1969 and was relined in 1975, 1980, 1986 and 1991, according to the company. The furnace had been scheduled for a complete reline in 1998, but the financial conditions of Bethlehem Steel Corp., which owned it at the time, prevented the company from doing the work.

Read more about D Furnace’s history, how reline will affect Burns Harbor operations at the NWI Times >>

Andrea Holecek | Source: NWI Times

PSC Metals Inc.’s contract for scrap metal processing work at ArcelorMittal’s Burns Harbor mill ends in October, also ending employment for 108 of the company’s local workers, the company has told the state.

… The contract was awarded to Scrap Metal Services Co., of Burnham. No one from SMS could be reached by The Times for comment Tuesday as of press time.

Linda Bogdanovic, vice president of Human Resources for PSC Metals Inc., said her company has held the contract for the Burns Harbor mill for about 40 years.

Read the full story at the NWI Times >>

Related: Red-hot replies singe and support steelworkers’ jobs and image - Post-Trib *14 comments*

Kevin Nevers | Source: Chesterton Tribune

ArcelorMittal has blinked.

Just before 2 p.m. on Saturday (CST) the presidents of 16 United Steelworkers (USW) locals voted 15-1 to endorse a new tentative four-year agreement with the company and present that contract to the membership for a vote.

On all the major issues—the so-called “bulleted items”—the company has relented and met the union’s terms, Local 6787 President Paul Gipson told the Chesterton Tribune on Saturday.

…Only 24 hours previously there had been nothing between the USW and ArcelorMittal but daylight, the union’s negotiators were tired and angry and grim, and a walkout at 12:01 a.m. on Monday—Labor Day—seemed inevitable. Twenty-four hours later Gipson gave the Burns Harbor plant manager the green light to fire up the coke ovens and the blast furnaces.

To those blast furnaces, in fact—not only the two at the Burns Harbor facility but the company’s seven others in the U.S.—Gipson attributed the victory, to the likelihood of those furnaces being damaged in an outage performed by management alone.

“We made them worry about those furnaces,” he said. “We always had the biggest concern for the safety of the guys running them and for the integrity of the furnaces themselves. They saw our deep concern. We seemed to have more concern about those furnaces than they did. They waited too long to start banking them. They should have started at least 10 days before the expiration of the contract.”

Read the rest of this insightful story at the Chesterton Tribune >>

By Eric Berman  | Source: WIBC

One of seven steelworkers injured in an explosion at an East Chicago steel mill last year has filed a 55-million-dollar lawsuit against the company.

Jeremy Schoon of Valparaiso was badly burned by molten steel which erupted from a blast furnace at ArcelorMittal. Attorney Kenneth J. Allen maintains a redesign of the furnace meant a formerly safe place to stand was now the heart of the danger zone. He contends the workers weren’t told they needed to change their safety procedures.

Read the full story at WIBC >>

Related:

• USW At Arcelor Mittal In Weirton Will Take Strike Vote - WTRF
• Steel talks stall - NWI

BY ANDREA HOLECEK | Source: NWI

The United Steelworkers union is asking its 14,000 members at ArcelorMittal U.S. plants to give the union permission to authorize a strike against the company “if it becomes necessary.”

The strike authorization votes will be taken Wednesday at the 14 United Steelworkers locals representing ArcelorMittal’s hourly workers, according to a handbill being distributed today at ArcelorMittal’s domestic plants.

Read the full story, comments at NWI >>

We are closing comments on this entry so that all commentary is funneled to local outlets.

Georgette Senter | Source: The News-Dispatch

A La Porte County man who lost both legs in an accident at ArcelorMittal Steel Mill in Burns Harbor two weeks ago has not lost his zest for life.

James Dolph, 56, suffered massive injuries on July 30.

A railcar he was attempting to switch to a different track rolled over Dolph, severing both legs. His left leg was severed 5 inches below the knee and his right leg was severed 7 1/2 inches above the knee.

… After the accident, Dolph was airlifted to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, Ill., where doctors operated to reduce the trauma to Dolph’s injuries.

Leidy said Wednesday her father has been transferred to a rehabilitation center in South Bend where he as begun the process of healing and recovery.

…  Dolph has worked at the mill for 36 years. His daughter said the day of the accident was actually her father’s day off but another manager was on vacation so he had decided to work.

Once his legs are healed, Dolph will be fitted for prosthetic legs, Leidy said.

In the meantime, family members, friends and co-workers have come together to support Dolph, and his wife, Janet.

“It has only been two weeks since the accident and a ramp has been built at my parents’ house,” Leidy said. “We are prepared for when he can come home.”

Doctors have told Dolph he may be in rehabilitation until Christmas.

There is great inspiration behind James Dolph’s story, read how he still plans to finish hiking the Appalacian Trail >>

Source: Sunny Steel News Center

Prices continued to increase for all steel products and the mills have announced further price increases for August and September. Our contacts voiced increased pessimism, however, on the ability of the mills to pass along the announced increases and as well as achieve higher pricing in the fourth quarter.

… The diminishing outlook of distributors on steel-pricing fundamentals is driven by the widely reported declines in ferrous scrap pricing and further weakness in demand, particularly for automotive.

… ArcelorMittal is taking a fourth-quarter 2008 100-day maintenance outage at its Burns Harbor mill, which will significantly reduce the amount of steel production aimed at the sluggish domestic automotive industry.

Many more predictions, citations at the Sunny Steel News Center >>

Source: USCG

MARQUETTE, Mich. — The Coast Guard medically evacuated a 42-year-old male from the Burns Harbor, a 1,000-foot iron ore transport vessel, after he was experiencing chest pains early Wednesday morning.

The Burns Harbor was transiting 60 miles east of Marquette in Lake Superior.

“The position of the laker made the hoist challenging,” said a Coast Guard crewman.

A Coast Guard Air Station Traverse City HH-65C Dolphin helicopter airlifted the man from the Burns Harbor and transported him to Sawyer Airport to awaiting Emergency Medical Services.

“We got on scene, hoisted down the swimmer, sent down the basket and hoisted him [the victim] up, then retrieved the swimmer,” said Lt. Cmdr. Joseph Klatt, the helicopter pilot.

EMS transported him to Marquette General Hospital.

Source: Post-Tribune

BURNS HARBOR — An ArcelorMittal supervisor lost both legs Wednesday when a rail car carrying coal inside the Burns Harbor plant rolled over him, the state Department of Labor confirmed.

… Union leaders with the United Steelworkers are negotiating a new contract with the multinational steel corporation to replace a 2003 agreement that expires this month.

Workplace safety issues have been featured prominently in the talks after a rise in serious and fatal accidents since the former Mittal Steel took over the plants in Burns Harbor and East Chicago three years ago.

Read the full story at the Post-Tribune >>

Source: NWI Times

An iron producing supervisor at ArcelorMittal Burns Harbor was badly injured Wednesday while working on coal rail cars at the mill.

James Dolph, 56, of LaPorte, was airlifted to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, Ill., where he remained in critical condition Friday at Advocate Christ Medical Center.

Details of the accident were not available.

In a statement, ArcelorMittal stated a joint investigation — with management and the United Steelworkers of America — was immediately launched after the accident. The investigation is ongoing.

“Our thoughts and best wishes go out to the family and friends of the injured,” ArcelorMittal said in the statement.

“The health and safety of our work force will always be the No. 1 priority at ArcelorMittal.”

Full story, post your comments at the NWI Times >>

BY KEITH BENMAN | Source: NWI Times

A major shipper and holder of high quality metals wants to locate depots in Gary and East Chicago.

Metro International Trade Services LLC, of Detroit, wants to locate in those cities because of their easy access to rail and smelting operations across North America, according to Curt Felch, Metro International vice president of strategic development.

Last year, it opened a similar facility at the Port of Indiana Burns Harbor.

“We are completely full there (Burns Harbor) and it has been a big success for us,” Felch told the Gary/Chicago International Airport Authority board on Thursday.

Full story, specifics at the NWI Times >>

By Craig Davison | Source: News-Dispatch

Peter Laman, port director of Burns Harbor, said the largest products of import and export [for the Ports of Indiana] are coal, grain, steel, limestone and fertilizer. The port handles 15 percent of all U.S. steel trade with Europe.

He said most ships can carry about 20,000 tons or the equivalent of 800 truck loads.

The three ports in Indiana contribute about $3.5 billion and 23,000 jobs to Indiana, Laman said.

Questions pressed on the possibility of a multimodal facility and any relationship it could have with the port. Laman made statements it would be feasible in the future, but made no commitments and said he was not involved in any discussions with any groups.

Laman said they would look for transportation links that made sense for moving cargo in the state that make logistical sense.

Full story at the News-Dispatch >>

Source: Chesterton Tribune

The Indiana Port Commission now has a new name: The Ports of Indiana.

While “Ports of Indiana” has been the marketing identity of the organization for years, legislation making it the legal name of the entity has only just taken effect, according to a statement released on Wednesday.

“This name change is very important to our organization for many reasons,” the statement said. “First, the name ‘Ports of Indiana’ identifies us as one organization operating multiple ports. Second, it is much more consistent with industry standards…”

Read the specifics at the Chesterton Tribune >>

Source: Post-Tribune

Firefighters battled a three-alarm structure fire for nearly four hours Friday evening at the Port of Indiana in Burns Harbor.

Portage Assistant Fire Chief Mike Bucy said firefighters heard the alarm at 9:50 p.m.

Upon arrival, Bucy said there was heavy smoke and flames coming from a building that stores fertilizer.

“It appeared the fire had been burning for a while,” Bucy said.

Bucy said the 11,000-square-foot building and its contents were a total loss. He didn’t have an estimate. The building is owned by Frick Services.

Read the full story at the Post Tribune >>

BY ANDREA HOLECEK | Source: NWI Times

BURNS HARBOR | Severe flooding on the Mississippi River has hampered some barge traffic out of Indiana’s International Port at Burns Harbor, holding up some grain movements to the South and ore movements to the north.

“[I]t’s day to day throughout the river system,” Jody Peacock, spokesman for the Ports of Indiana said. “Flooding is having an impact on the river. They’re restricting the amount of barges that one tugboat can push and there are requirements for northbound shipments, and night travel is under the captain’s judgement.”

John Starke, grain merchant for Cargill’s port operation, said 200,000 bushels of corn meant for the company’s Decatur, Ala. processing plant are sitting dockside because Mississippi barge traffic currently is stalled.

“Right now we’re working with other grain shippers to work with the railroads to give us rates,” he said Tuesday. “Corn processors are being impacted, and as a supplier, we are too,”

Read how the complex midwest river shipping system affects Great Lakes production and shipping at the NWI Times >>

By Jeff Manes | Source: Post-Tribune

PORTER — Nearly 300 American-made Harley-Davidsons were parked outside of Leroy’s Hot Stuff recently.

Many of the bikes were owned by members of trade unions who had gathered for a poker run and raffle.

“A good portion of these bikers here today work in the mill,” said Stefan Cervik. “We want to have a memorial built for the steel workers from ArcelorMittal’s Burns Harbor plant who have been killed on the job.”

“The monument will have the deceased workers’ names on it,” Cervik said. “God forbid, we’ll be able to add names to it if necessary. We’ve had two people lose their lives just recently.

“One of the fellas who got killed out there was a good friend of mine — David Reeves. He’s sorely missed. I went to the union hall to see what we have to remember people by; there’s an outdated plaque with gold name tags. I just felt, as great a union as we are, we could do better.

“I asked my union president at Local 6787 (Paul Gipson) if we could have something done. He agreed to help me, but I had to raise the funds myself. I’ve been on this quest now since about 2005.”

Stephan Dubovich lives in Hebron, but grew up in Gary. He retired from “Ma Beth” — Bethlehem Steel, which owned the Burns Harbor plant before ArcelorMittal. He was on the job when one of his workmates lost her life in the coke plant.

“You feel so helpless,” Dubovich said. “It’s a terrible feeling. They had to cut a hole out of the bottom of the hopper to let all the coal run out so they could recover her body.

“What are you going to do? There was a young kid who died right there in that same place — dust explosion. He burned to death.”

Read the full story and how you can help at the Post-Tribune >>

Joyce Russell | Source: The Times/nwi.com

Firefighters from five departments battled a blaze overnight at U.S. Steel’s Midwest plant here.

Portage Assistant Chief Mike Bucy said his department was called to the steelmill at about 11:30 p.m. Thursday. As initial crews were on the way, they saw an orange glow and flames coming from the batch and anealing line building.

Bucy said the fire apparently started in the roof and vents over the building. [Fire crews] used approximately 800 feet of hose line to reach the fire along with their tower truck and an aerial from Mittal steel. There were no injuries.

People were working in the building at the time of the fire. The mill was able to restart production on the line once firefighters cleared the scene at 4:30 a.m.

In addition to Portage, firefighters from South Haven, Ogden Dunes, Burns Harbor and Mittal Steel were on the scene.

Bucy said an investigation into the fire would be up to U.S. Steel.

Full story at The Times/nwi.com >>

Teresa Auch | Source: Post-Tribune

In other business, the committee also gave initial approval to a 108,000-square-foot storage unit at the Port of Indiana-Burns Harbor for Cargill.

The company plans on using the building to store about 2.5 million bushels of farm produce, representatives said.

The building will consist of a concrete base, but the walls and domes will be made from a cloth fabric.

Articles in Indiana papers draw comments and considerable concern from workers, responders and community. Be sure to read the comments after each of these articles at their respective sites:

• Accident kills ArcelorMittal worker - NWI.com (see Comments)
• Girder falls, kills worker at steelmill - Post-Tribune (see Comments)

See Also:

• ArcelorMittal Steel worker killed by steel girder - Chicago Tribune
• Millwright death termed accidental - NWI Times

Be sure to read comments at NWI Times about training, liabilities and work requirements for crafted millwrights at plants such as ArcelorMittal

By KEVIN NEVERS | Source: Chesterton Tribune

A steelworker died Wednesday in a “freak accident” at the Burns Harbor facility of Mittal Steel USA, after being pinned between two girders.

Paul Gipson, president of United Steelworkers Local 6787 identified the member as Russell Payne, 60, of Portage. Payne leaves a wife and two sons.

The accident occurred around mid-morning in the former slabbing mill shuttered by Bethlehem Steel Corporation, later converted by International Steel Group and then Mittal into a storage facility for motors, girders, crane equipment, and other materiel.

… “He died instantly,” Gipson said. “He never felt anything.”

A total of 27 people have died at the mill in its 42-year history, Gipson said. Most recently, in July 2006, Kevin Sullivan, 50, of LaPorte, was crushed to death at No. 1 Coke Battery when he was caught between the battery and a machine which opens its doors. “A steel mill is a terrible place to die,” Gipson said.

Payne was a 33-year veteran of the mill and was eligible for retirement. A benefit is being planned for his family.

Full story, quotes at the Chesterton Tribune (rather grisly) >>