Stewart J Cort

[Guest]

EAF are just so much more efficient than Blast Furnaces. In 2019, 70 percent of all steel produced in the US was by an EAF. It's probably an even higher percentage now.
Cleaner, Cheaper Way to Make Steel Uses Electricity
https://www.scientificamerican.com/arti ... ectricity/

Expect the continuing shut down of more blast furnaces in the Great Lakes/Pittsburgh region. Both the Canadian producers and USS Steel are moving away from Blast Furnaces

[Denny]

In response to Andrew's post further down here, he mentions both the American Integrity and Mesabi Miner both are which are still in lay up and also mentions that the Miner will be fitting out soon. Yes, that is correct as they are listed along with the American Integrity as loading coal at the MERC Coal Terminal Dock in Superior next week sometime. I would then expect to see both fitting out and sailing sometime next week by then.

[Guest]

US Raw steel production around the Great Lakes has been going down since the beginning of the year. Meanwhile, raw steel production from mini-mills in the Southern US has been growing rapidly. That's the reason why some ships aren't fitting out or are being re-positioned to another port for layup.

[Guest]

It's 2022 by the way ;-)

[Andrew]

Unless some of it has to do with high scrap metal prices (which I know led to Cliffs idling NorthShore until the scrap piles are used up), I have the same question. One would think with high iron prices and a war on the horizon, they'd be moving as much metal as possible. While it's still early season, there are a lot of boats not moving yet, including a lot of the 1000 footers. I don't necessarily read into short term layups too much or have a lot of stock in the doom and gloom rumors floating around, so it doesn't concern me really, but it is curious. If I'm not mistaken, the Indiana Harbor moved to Toledo to lay up, American Integrity is still there, and I haven't seen the McCarthy or American Spirit yet on AIS. Miner is still in the Bay, but I heard she will be getting out soon.

[Guest]

There are only so many Blast Furnaces left with Zug Island, Warren Ohio, and Cliff's closure of KY furnaces and their recent closure in NW Indiana. I'm sure what is left is running at high utilization rates.

Electric Arc Furnaces have been long since passed blast furnaces in output. Recall too that US auto production is running way below capacity due to parts shortages

There aren't many coal power plants left on the water either. Limestone is the only cargo likely to grow with the Infrastructure bill.

[Guest]

Wow, I was hoping she got moved up just to find out she was pushed back.

What I don’t understand is with the high prices of steel right now and the shortages due to the lack of steel coming from Ukraine/Russia how is every vessel not moving ore this season? I would think they would have every available steel plant running 24/7.

I know a lot of people have been taking doom and gloom on the industry which I don’t necessarily disagree with long term however, I just can’t understand vessels being at the wall in 2021.

[Guest]

Headed to Sturgeon Bay for layup until August.

[Guest]

Interlake originally posted a fit out date of the end of May. However, she appears to have left Milwaukee this morning. Seems odd that the fit out date was moved up by 2 months. Hopefully, she is going to load and not just move to another layup dock.