According to the data released by metal trading enterprise Ukrainian Mining and Metallurgical Company (UGMK), in the first 11 months of 2010 Ukraine's imports of rolled steel products increased by 102.5 percent year on year, amounting to 1.3 million mt.
In November this year, Ukraine's imports of rolled steel products saw a 0.5 percent decrease compared to October, but a 142.6 percent increase compared to November 2009.
In January-November 2010, one third of overall rolled steel imports to Ukraine were accounted for by round billets, the share of which increased from 30.5 percent in the same period last year to 34.8 percent.
Meanwhile, UGMK noted a drop in rebar imports during the period in question, with their share in overall rolled steel imports declining from 7.7 percent to 1.7 percent. There were also year-on-year decreases in the shares of CR sheet/coils and pipes in Ukraine's total volume of steel imports, dropping from 11.9 percent to 8.8 percent and from 5.1 percent to 3.2 percent respectively.
As in previous months, the main suppliers of round billets to Ukraine in November this year were Russia's Oskol Metallurgical Plant, a subsidiary of Metalloinvest, and Byelorussian Iron and Steel Works (BMZ), the shares of which amounted to 83.8 percent and 11.4 percent respectively of total supplies. About 85.1 percent of total imports of round billets were supplied to Interpipe's pipemaking subsidiaries.
Meanwhile, Ukraine's main suppliers of HR sheet/coils in November were Russian steelmakers Severstal, Novolipetsk Steel (NLMK) and Magnitogorsk Iron and Steel Works (MMK), the respective shares of which amounted to 59.6 percent, 17.8 percent and 16.2 percent of total deliveries.
In November this year, Ukraine's main importers of rolled steel products were the pipe sector, the share of which amounted to 31 percent of overall steel imports into the country, and the machine-building sector, with its share of overall imports amounting to 23.7 percent. Meanwhile, the local metal traders' share of steel imports amounted to 16.4 percent, and the share of local mining and metallurgical companies amounted to 13.5 percent of overall rolled steel product imports, UGMK said.