Liberty House acquired the 42-inch and 84-inch welded pipe mills from Tata Steel for an undisclosed amount. The mills have a capacity of 250,000 metric tons annually. 

“This is an important first step in our ambition to become a world leader in energy pipe and we are already looking at plants in other countries,” said Liberty House executive chairman Sanjeev Gupta. 

“The acquisition of this high-caliber business and its skilled workforce gives us the basis to upgrade the liquid steel production facilities we’re buying at Whyalla, South Australia, and our plate mills at Dalzell and Clydebridge in Scotland to make high-value-added API grade plates that can be rolled at Hartlepool to supply pipeline projects worldwide. This fully integrated value chain will make us a world leader in this field and help showcase Britain's engineering prowess in supplying a world-class, highly engineered product.”

Heading the new business, called Liberty Pipe, will be James Annal, who began his tenure as chief executive on Tuesday. 

Liberty House said Annal is one of the most prominent and experienced leaders in the global steel industry’s pipe sector, having been chief executive of tubular products across Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia for ArcelorMittal. 

“I am very familiar with the pipe business in Hartlepool and am really looking forward to working with the team there to make it a pivotal part of an exciting new global business.” Annal said.