Biggest ever order for Liberty Steel in Hartlepool - and here's what it means for the town

A steel sheet is bent in to a 'U' shape before being turned into a pipe at Liberty Steel's mill in Hartlepool. Photographer: Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg.

The contract for more than 290 miles of steel pipes has been secured by Liberty Steel.

It means production will continue for between 10 and 12 months and provides the business with its strongest backlog of orders for more than six years.

Extra staff have also been taken on to handle the deal. Liberty bosses say the workforce has gone up from 135 to almost 250 at the Hartlepool pipe mill since they took over three years ago.

Martyn Curnow, who is the Commercial Director at Liberty Steel Hartlepool, said: “Once again Liberty Pipes Hartlepool has proven, despite some of the most challenging market conditions we have ever faced, that it has an ability to compete and secure prestigious project work on a global scale.

“We have been tracking some of these projects for many years and it is extremely pleasing that our determination and persistence have paid off. These orders provide a strong foundation on which our business can continue to build.”

Liberty Steel Hartlepool has secured contracts to build pipe for use in offshore and onshore energy infrastructure projects in the United States and Caspian Sea regions.

The orders, of significant value, will be fulfilled at Liberty’s Longitudinally Submerged Arc Welded Linepipe (LSAW) mill.

The contracts are from unnamed clients but bosses have described one of them as ‘by some way the largest order since the business was taken over by Liberty House Group in 2017’.

A press statement on behalf of the company added: “Additional resource has been added to the workforce to meet demanding client schedules, giving a boost to the local community in these uncertain times.”

The orders are for carbon steel linepipe which is widely used to carry oil and gas.

Fulfilling the orders will involve producing linepipe which would be long enough to run from Hartlepool all the way to London.

Andy Hill, Managing Director, Liberty Steel Hartlepool, said: “Our number one priority is the health, safety and wellbeing of our employees and their families.

“To ensure this, in addition to our ongoing focus on health and safety, Liberty Pipes Hartlepool are working within the UK Government guidelines during the COVID-19 global pandemic as we seek to expedite these important contracts over coming months.”

Hartlepool MP Mike Hill said: “This is fantastic news for Liberty Steel and for the town. These are very difficult times for everyone, including business, and to hear a good news story like this is both uplifting and inspirational.”

Liberty Steel acquired the 42-inch and 84-inch steel mills that manufacture pipeline for the international oil and gas industry from Tata Steel in the summer of 2017.

Mike Hill added: “Liberty has gone from strength to strength since taking over the 42 and 84 inch Pipe Mills in Hartlepool and it is encouraging to know that it not only continues to be successful, but is also bringing much needed jobs into the area.”

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