Vietnamese steel processor Hoa Phat had temporarily shut its blast furnace No. 1 situated in Dung Quat Iron and Steel Complex after a fire accident halted production process on July 11, according to the company’s press release. No equipment was damaged as necessary precautions were taken to control the fire and release the pressure of the furnace.
The fire started in the production process and spread to the hydraulic oil supply and the surrounding plastic corrugated iron walls. The issue was resolved over the weekend and the furnace was restarted on June 13 and has resumed normal operations, according to local media.
Vietnamese authorities investigated to authenticate the case and have allowed the steelmaker to resume operations at the plant.
In the first half of 2020, the company supplied over 1.51mn mt of construction steel to domestic and foreign markets, up by 12.4pc from the prior-year period. Steel billets production was at 831,000mt in H1.