The Pennsylvania, US-based group's metals and mining division said the contract includes melt shop cleaning and slag handling and crushing, as well as metal recovery and drop ball services.

No start and end dates for the multi-year agreement were released, but Harsco's COO Russ Mitchell said it is part of a long association the company has held with the global miner.

"This agreement is key to maintaining our strong strategic presence in Latin America, and it underpins our commitment to our customer by delivering value and adding solutions with the highest quality and safety standards," he said.

Tubarão is one of Brazil's largest integrated steel mills and is a top producer of flat carbon steel. It has a 7.5-million-tonne-per-year production capacity.