Steel mills in southern Turkey halted production after the two powerful earthquakes of 6 February, paralysing about a third of the country's steelmaking capacity. Around a dozen mills in the Iskenderun and Osmaniye regions, close to the epicentre, suspended operations to inspect plants, port terminals and logistics, and at least four declared force majeure on contracts. Isdemir, Turkey's largest integrated steelmaker, with 5.8 million tonnes a year of liquid steel capacity, said on 13 February that it had suspended production until due diligence checks were complete. The plants themselves suffered no major damage, but workforce shortages, destroyed roads and power cuts made production impossible, and mills were expected to stay shut until at least the end of February. The Turkish Steel Producers' Association said producers elsewhere in the country would focus on meeting domestic demand as reconstruction began, with the government asking mills to supply 4 million tonnes of rebar for rebuilding.
Source: Hellenic Shipping News (S&P Global Platts) — https://www.hellenicshippingnews.com/steel-mills-in-turkish-earthquake-zone-may-close-for-a-month-tcud/
Photo: Wikimedia Commons (freely licensed).