BOS Vessel at BlueScope Port Kembla, pure oxygen is blasted into the molten iron to remove impurities to convert the iron.

Series · 11 prints

BlueScope Port Kembla

Photographed 2016
Frames 11
Camera NIKON D7000
Location New South Wales, Australia
Status Active steelworks
Opened 1928
01 ABOUT THIS SERIES

Series story

Map · Mapbox · OpenStreetMap

The BlueScope Port Kembla steelworks is the largest crude-steel production plant in Australia and the largest single industrial operation in the Illawarra. The site began in 1928 as Australian Iron & Steel, taking over Charles Hoskins's iron operation from Lithgow. First steel was made in 1931. BHP merged with AIS in 1935 and the works ran as BHP Steel until 2002, when BlueScope was demerged from BHP. The No.6 Blast Furnace was decommissioned in 2011 when BlueScope withdrew from the export market and stood dormant for over a decade before reline work was approved in 2021 at an estimated $1.15 billion. The No.5 Blast Furnace is approaching end of life. The Lost Collective photographs document the dormant sections of the works during the period after the 2011 shutdown.

03 PRINTS

Prints in this series

BOS Vessel at BlueScope Port Kembla, pure oxygen is blasted into the molten iron to remove impurities to convert the iron.
BOS Vessel
BOS Scrap Loading at BlueScope Port Kembla, in the middle of the frame is an enormous skip loaded with 50 tonnes of steel.
BOS Scrap Loading
Pot at BlueScope Port Kembla, a massive industrial pot stands amidst the BlueScope Port Kembla steelworks.
Pot
Tipping Slag at BlueScope Port Kembla, the BOS Vessel tipping the slag after tapping the steel.
Tipping Slag
BOS Building Facing West at BlueScope Port Kembla, from the BOS furnace floor facing West.
BOS Building Facing West
Charge Crane Hook at BlueScope Port Kembla, this photo doesn't really do justice but the hook block was about as big as me.
Charge Crane Hook
Slab Caster Plant at BlueScope Port Kembla, facing East down the slab caster plant.
Slab Caster Plant
BOS Charging at BlueScope Port Kembla, the molten iron being tipped into the BOS after the scrap steel.
BOS Charging
Steel Tapping at BlueScope Port Kembla, steel is poured into a ladle below by tipping the BOS on to the tapping hole side.
Steel Tapping
BOS Building Facing East at BlueScope Port Kembla, shot from the western end of the BOS building.
BOS Building Facing East
Slab Cutting at BlueScope Port Kembla, the cutting process of slab casting.
Slab Cutting
04 ABOUT THE PRINTS

How they’re made

Paper

Ilford Galerie Smooth Cotton Rag 310 gsm. Metallic Gloss 260 gsm for acrylic-mounted prints.

Sizes

Five sizes, XS to XL, from $100. Open editions in XS and S, limited editions in M, L and XL.

Print tiers →

Production

Made to order in 5 to 10 business days.