A shipment of coal needed to save Scunthorpe’s blast furnaces was still stuck on a boat last night – 24 hours after the Government took control of British Steel.
Ministers were told to ‘get on with it’ after it emerged the 55,000-ton delivery from Japan, which arrived at a port in Lincolnshire on Thursday, had not yet been paid for.
Rail operators had even drawn up timetables for two freight trains to run yesterday between Immingham Port on the Humber Estuary and Scunthorpe Steelworks, but the cargo was not unloaded.
A Downing Street source said government officials were ‘on site and talking to local management about a plan’ for the coking coal to be delivered.
Conservative MP Sir Iain Duncan Smith said: ‘What is the Government doing?
‘Ministers said they needed the recall of Parliament to pass emergency legislation to keep the steelworks running but now they don’t act like it’s an emergency.’
A shipment of coal needed to save Scunthorpe’s blast furnaces was still stuck on a boat last night – 24 hours after the Government took control of British Steel. Pictured: File photo of British Steel’s Scunthorpe plant
Yesterday, Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds (pictured) told the BBC he could not discuss ‘the commercial aspect of supply’
Ministers were told to ‘get on with it’ after it emerged the 55,000-ton delivery from Japan , which arrived at a port in Lincolnshire on Thursday, had not yet been paid for. Pictured: File photo
Steelworks insiders said on Wednesday there were 48 hours of coal supplies left and the site needed them ‘to allow it to keep going’.
Officials said that before the Government’s intervention to take control, British Steel’s Chinese owners Jingye were selling off raw materials and not ordering more.
It has since been reported Scunthorpe’s two blast furnaces could continue running until May. However, this may involve one being kept warm until it can be restarted.
Yesterday, Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds told the BBC he could not discuss ‘the commercial aspect of supply’.
There were also reports that the Royal Navy had been put ‘on alert’ to escort vital shipments to the Scunthorpe plant. The Navy, however, denied this.
