RNS I Bokaro: SAIL’s Bokaro Steel Plant (BSL) has been certified to produce normal and high-strength shipbuilding quality steel by the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) and the Indian Register of Shipping (IRS).
BSL became the first among the Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) units to achieve this distinction. The Works Approval Certificate for manufacturing hot rolled coils and plates/sheets of 4-10 mm thickness and 1100-1800 mm width was granted to BSL by ABS and IRS in February 2024.
The initiative to obtain this certification was prompted by an inquiry from M/s Goa Shipyard Limited for ABS Grade Sheets/Plates under a tender in FY 2021-22. Following a proposal from the SAIL Corporate Office, Bokaro Steel Plant took the lead in obtaining the Works Approval Certificate.
The Research and Control Laboratory (RCL) department of BSL, in collaboration with RDCIS, Bokaro Center, conducted a feasibility study for production at BSL with the existing facilities and initiated the certification process for producing normal and high-strength shipbuilding quality steel from ABS.
The project began in 2022 and involved multiple levels of process audits at its SMS-II and CCS, Hot Strip Mill, and HRCF units, as well as material testing at RCL and the Welding Research Institute (WRI) under the aegis of Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) Trichy. Specific weldability tests were performed to comply with certification requirements.
The steel supplied by BSL under this certification will be utilized in commercial ships. BSL has a long-standing history of supplying steel for various naval applications like submarines, frigates, and diving support vessels (DSVs). With this new certification, BSL can now also supply steel for commercial ships, further enhancing its position in the market.
