British Steel lands major contract to supply Chinese super-port

The company is supplying crane rails for the Yangshan deep water facility, a £57 billion project near Shanghai that will enable the port to handle huge container ships with depths of up to 15 metres.

Under the terms of the deal, British Steel has already supplied 4,650 tonnes of special profiles for the Yangshan development with a further 3,000 tonnes to follow for the next phase.

The steel is made at the company’s Scunthorpe works before being rolled at its Special Profiles business in Skinningrove, Teesside.

The contract, for the fourth-phase of the Yangshan project, is being delivered through Steel CLIK –www.steelclik.com - a major supplier in the crane rail market.

And the two companies have revealed it is part of an agreement that will see British Steel supply Steel CLIK with special profiles - crane rails, track shoe long bar and cutting edges - for use in China.

Peter Gate, managing director of British Steel’s Special Profiles business, said: “China offers us a great opportunity so we’re delighted to be bringing our products to market through Steel CLIK.

“The Yangshan project is a highly prestigious development and, given the competition we faced, we’re immensely proud to have been awarded this contract.

“Our crane rails are of a very high quality and strength and will ensure the port, which will handle millions of tonnes of cargo a year, has exceptional capabilities.”

British Steel’s crane rails are developed for overhead gantry and floor-mounted cranes in ports, warehouses and shipyards across the globe.

Its track shoe long bar and cutting edges are key components in earthmoving equipment.

The Yangshan project started in 2002 and, according to the plan design, the deep water facility will be completed in 2020.

The port is connected to the mainland by the 20-mile- long Donghai bridge – the world’s longest sea bridge.

Mr Gate added: “We’re delighted to be working with Steel CLIK on the Yangshan project, it will be an incredible development once it’s completed.

“For major projects like this we can customise crane rail in terms of steel grade and provide lengths of up to 16 metres – this means there are less joints which is a major benefit to developers as they can carry heavier loads and maximise efficiency.”