Pivdennyi Mining and Processing Plant (PivdGZK) is temporarily suspending extraction and reducing production volumes. The main reason for this decision is the systematic attacks by the aggressor country on civilian merchant vessels in the Black Sea, which have effectively blocked the operation of Ukrainian ports. This was reported by UNN citing information published on the official website of the enterprise.
Details
In their official statement, representatives of the enterprise note that enemy missile strikes on international merchant vessels have led to the suspension of maritime shipping due to shipowners' concerns about crew safety. According to available data, at least 12 civilian ships came under fire, some of which were to transport products of the Ukrainian mining and metallurgical complex.
Furthermore, due to the blocking of sea routes, several shiploads of iron ore have accumulated in the ports and warehouses of Pivdennyi GZK. Since storage space for products is exhausted, the plant was forced to temporarily halt extraction.
The company assured that it will fulfill all obligations to its staff and partners. During the pause, employees will be engaged in repair and routine maintenance work, and extraction is planned to resume in August 2026 - provided the security situation stabilizes.
The enterprise emphasized that the suspension of operations was delayed as long as possible. Since the start of the full-scale war, the plant has operated under the pressure of constant shelling, power outages, rising logistics costs, the introduction of the European CBAM mechanism, and EU quota restrictions. The deterioration of the situation in the Black Sea in July became a critical factor.
In this regard, the staff of Pivdennyi GZK appealed to the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the Government, and Members of Parliament with a call to protect port infrastructure and civilian shipping.
The enterprise stresses that unblocking export routes is a matter of survival for the entire economy, a guarantee of tax revenues, foreign currency earnings, and continued support for the Defense Forces of Ukraine.
What you need to know about PivdGZK
Private Joint-Stock Company "Pivdennyi Mining and Processing Plant" is one of the key enterprises of the mining and metallurgical complex of Ukraine. Its facilities are located in the city of Kryvyi Rih, Dnipropetrovsk region.
The history of the plant began in 1955, when it was officially put into operation. The founding of PivdGZK marked a turning point for the industry, as it was the first enterprise in the former USSR specially built for the extraction and beneficiation of low-grade magnetite quartzites. Its launch ushered in a new era in Ukrainian mining — the transition to open-pit mining and deep ore beneficiation.
The main activity of the enterprise is focused on the open-pit extraction of iron ore raw materials, their beneficiation, and the production of finished products. The "heart" of the production complex is the PivdGZK quarry, which is among the deepest and largest in the Kryvyi Rih basin, with a depth of over 400 meters and a length of over 3 kilometers.
The full technological cycle includes drilling and blasting operations, transportation of rock mass, multi-stage crushing, magnetic separation, and beneficiation.
The main types of products of the plant are iron ore concentrate with an iron content of about 65–68%, necessary for the production of pellets and metal, as well as sinter, intended for blast furnace production.
The plant's products are supplied both to domestic metallurgical enterprises and for export - to countries of Central and Eastern Europe and Asia. Logistics are carried out using railway transport and Ukraine's maritime trade ports in the Black Sea basin.
As a city-forming enterprise of Kryvyi Rih, PivdGZK has important socio-economic significance. The plant provides jobs for thousands of specialists and is one of the largest taxpayers to budgets at all levels.
Along with this, the enterprise constantly implements environmental programs to secure tailings storage facilities and reduce dust formation, participates in the development of urban infrastructure, implements social initiatives, and provides systematic support to local communities and the Defense Forces of Ukraine.
Reminder
A day earlier, it became known that the company Ferrexpo is suspending exports via the Black Sea due to Russian attacks.