Lakshmi, Aditya Mittal pledge to resume production in address to ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih workers

KYIV. April 8 (Interfax-Ukraine) - ArcelorMittal Executive Chairman Lakshmi Mittal and ArcelorMittal President and CEO Aditya Mittal have addressed employees of the Kryvyi Rih Mining and Metallurgical Plant of PJSC ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih (AMKR in the Dnipro region) to express their support and intention to resume production.

The statement said the Ukrainian government asked ArcelorMittal last week to consider a possibility of resuming production. The situation was assessed and a decision was made to partially resume production, it said. According to the statement, work is in progress to resume production by Blast Furnace No. 6 on April 11.

Strict safety measures will be taken in the course of the blast furnace launch, the statement said. AMKR CEO Mauro Longobardo returned to the plant earlier this week.

ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih is the largest manufacturer of rolled steel products in Ukraine. It is specializing in the production of long products, in particular, rebar and wire rod.

ArcelorMittal owns Ukraine's largest mining and metallurgical enterprise, ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih, and a number of smaller companies, such as PJSC ArcelorMittal Berislav.

Mittal Steel acquired a 93.02% stake in JSC Krivorozhstal in an open tender on October 24, 2005, the enterprise was first renamed Mittal Steel Kryvyi Rih and later on ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih.