International industrial and metals group Liberty House has announced that it has signed a provisional agreement with Tata Steel UK, a subsidiary of India-based Tata Steel Limited, to acquire its pipe mills based at Hartlepool, which have faced difficulties in recent times due to the downturn in the UK oil and gas sector. Liberty will now conclude discussions with a range of stakeholders on a support package that will help facilitate the rescue of the remaining 140 jobs at the mills and the recruitment of more staff.
The 42-inch and 84-inch longitudinal submerged arc welded (LSAW) pipe mills at Hartlepool, with a combined production capacity of over 250,000 mt per year, make heavy-duty steel pipe for the energy, power and construction industries in the UK and worldwide.
Liberty stated that the addition of the Hartlepool pipe mills would bring Liberty’s UK workforce to nearly 5,000 people spread across more than 30 sites, making it one of Britain's largest industrial employers. The acquisition is also good news for Liberty’s plate mills in Scotland as its Dalzell and Clydebridge plants would be able to supply steel plate to the Hartlepool pipe mills. Liberty also intends to upgrade its steelmaking in Australia and the plate mill at Dalzell to be able to make high-grade API plate capable of being rolled into large diameter LSAW pipes at Hartlepool for oil and gas pipelines globally to the highest specification.