Delhi/Hazira: ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel India (AM/NS India) has become the first steel company in the world to produce ultra-high strength welded pipes equivalent to API 5L X100, securing certification from the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) for use in demanding offshore applications.
The ABS is a leading maritime classification society that provides independent validation of compliance, including strength parameters, with globally recognised standards.
The company successfully manufactured EQ70 grade welded pipes, which boast a minimum yield strength of 690 megapascals (MPa) and superior toughness. These pipes meet stringent international standards for marine and offshore engineering, including applications such as leg bracing in jack-up rigs, deepwater pipelines, oil and gas platforms, and offshore wind structures.
“While setting a new benchmark in offshore engineering, this endeavour by ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel India strongly supports the ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ and ‘Viksit Bharat’ initiatives by enabling the domestic availability of indigenously produced highest strength welded pipes, replacing seamless pipes currently imported from Europe for critical applications such as oil & gas platforms, offshore wind structures, and deepwater pipelines. With high performance welded pipes, customers from India’s offshore and engineering sectors will benefit with enhanced supply security, shorter lead times, and lower costs, as well as improved competitiveness both domestically and internationally,” a company release said.
This milestone was achieved at AM/NS India’s flagship facility in Hazira, Gujarat, where plates were fabricated into welded pipes using Submerged Arc Welding (SAW) technology. Producing such high-strength welded pipes is technically challenging, as it requires consistent strength and toughness across both the base metal and the weld seam under extreme conditions, it further noted.
The lighter weight and thinner walls possible with EQ70 grade pipes, combined with excellent weldability and corrosion resistance, offer improved efficiency and reliability for critical infrastructure projects. “This achievement demonstrates world-class manufacturing capabilities in high-performance steel applications,” AM/NS India stated, attributing the success to the technological expertise, R&D strength, and global best practices of its parent companies, ArcelorMittal and Nippon Steel.
This aligns with the company’s brand promise of “Smarter Steels, Brighter Futures.”ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel India is a joint venture between ArcelorMittal and Nippon Steel. It is one of India’s leading integrated flat carbon steel producers, with a crude steel capacity of 9 million tonnes per annum and a pellet capacity of 20 million tonnes. The company also operates state-of-the-art downstream facilities and is establishing an additional 8.2 million tonnes per annum integrated steel plant in Andhra Pradesh. It is currently the only integrated steel company in India to have received the Green Steel Certificate from the Ministry of Steel.
