AISI Supports OCTG Imports Investigations Filed Today
07/02/2013 - The trade association representing North American steel producers today lent its support to petitions filed today with the Department of Commerce (DOC) and the International Trade Commissions (ITC) seeking antidumping relief on certain oil country tubular goods (OCTG) from India, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine and Vietnam. Petitioners are also seeking countervailing duties on certain OCTG from India and Turkey.
Thomas J. Gibson, president and CEO of the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI), said, “Imports from these countries have surged by 111% in the past few years, and the petitioners present that these imports have caused material injury to the domestic steel industry. U.S. laws against unfair trade exist to counter market-distorting practices — like subsidies — and to restore conditions of fair trade, but this cannot occur unless all parties play by the rules. It is vital for U.S. companies to have the chance to compete for business on a level playing field. We applaud these domestic steel companies for taking a stand and we urge the DOC and ITC to take a hard look and provide antidumping and countervailing duty relief for our industry.”
Gibson said that in recent years the volume of U.S. imports of OCTG from the subject countries soared from 840,313 tons in 2010 to 1,771,320 tons in 2012. In the first quarter of this year, 425,987 tons of imports entered the market from the subject countries.
Petitioners include: Boomerang Tube; Energex Tube, a division of JMC Steel Group; Maverick Tube Corporation; Northwest Pipe Company; Tejas Tubular Products; TMK IPSCO; United States Steel Corporation; Vallourec Star, L.P.; Welded Tube USA, Inc.
