MOSCOW, June 5, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Mechel OAO (NYSE:MTL), one of the leading Russian mining and metals companies, announces signing a coking coal supply agreement with China's Shasteel Group.
According to the signed agreement, Mechel Carbon (Singapore), trading subsidiary of Mechel OAO's mining division, will directly supply Shasteel Group with 40,000 to 80,000 tonnes of coking coal a month from Russian Far East ports, starting from June 2013. Coking coal prices will be determined on a monthly basis.
Before May 2013, Mechel Carbon has supplied more than 500,000 tonnes of coking coal to Shasteel's main coke plant in Zhangjiagang, Jiangsu Province. Shasteel Group is the largest private steel mill in China, with an annual production capacity of up to 35 million tonnes of steel.
"Considering the current high market volatility, it is particularly important to us to have guaranteed sales of our products to the world's major steelmakers. Long-term contracts with giants such as Shasteel enable us to provide our production facilities with a stable load and diversify our markets, thus consolidating our status as a leading global coal exporter," Mechel Mining Management Company OOO's Chief Executive Officer Boris Nikishichev noted.
Mechel is one of the leading Russian companies. Its business includes four segments: mining, steel, ferroalloy and power. Mechel unites producers of coal, iron ore concentrate, nickel, ferrochrome, ferrosilicon, steel, rolled products, hardware, heat and electric power. Mechel products are marketed domestically and internationally.
Some of the information in this press release may contain projections or other forward-looking statements regarding future events or the future financial performance of Mechel, as defined in the safe harbor provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. We wish to caution you that these statements are only predictions and that actual events or results may differ materially. We do not intend to update these statements. We refer you to the documents Mechel files from time to time with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including our Form 20-F. These documents contain and identify important factors, including those contained in the section captioned "Risk Factors" and "Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements" in our Form 20-F, that could cause the actual results to differ materially from those contained in our projections or forward-looking statements, including, among others, the achievement of anticipated levels of profitability, growth, cost and synergy of our recent acquisitions, the impact of competitive pricing, the ability to obtain necessary regulatory approvals and licenses, the impact of developments in the Russian economic, political and legal environment, volatility in stock markets or in the price of our shares or ADRs, financial risk management and the impact of general business and global economic conditions.