Seamless pipe demand in the UAE market is still at the same low levels as one month ago. In spite of this, some foreign suppliers of seamless pipes to the UAE have raised their quotations due to the rising cost of raw materials and also in part due to the depreciation of the US dollar against the euro. Thus, Romanian and South African seamless pipes have become $50-100/mt more expensive for customers in the UAE over the past month. Top-tier producers from Argentina, Italy and Japan have increased their offer prices by $50-150/mt over the same period. On the other hand, quotations of seamless pipes from Ukraine, Russia, France and Germany have remained at previous levels. Over the same period, Chinese seamless pipe prices have continued to decline, by $20-30/mt, due to the high inventories in China and the weak demand in the external markets. Buying activity in the local UAE market will likely see a slight revival due to the existence of some new projects; however, competition with cheap Chinese material will limit price increases by other suppliers.
Import offers of Chinese seamless pipes 1"-6" grade B made to ASTM A106/API 5L are being given to the local UAE market at $700-750/mt C&F, while ¾" pipes are priced at around $850/mt C&F and ½" pipes at about $950/mt C&F.
Quotations of Ukrainian (Interpipe) seamless pipes 2"-8" grade B made to ASTM A106/API 5L are at $920-950/mt C&F. Offers of similar pipes with diameters up to 6" from Russia are being given to the UAE at around $950-1,000/mt C&F, while 8"-12" pipes are at the range of $1,050-1,100/mt C&F.
Romanian and South African seamless pipes (ArcelorMittal) 2"-10" grade B made to API 5L are quoted at around $1,100-1,200/mt C&F Dubai.
Offers of Argentinian (Tenaris) seamless pipes ½" grade B made to ASTM A106/API 5L to the UAE are at $2,000/mt C&F, ¾" pipes are at $1,950/mt C&F, 1" pipes are at $1,850/mt C&F, 2"-6" pipes are at $1,250-1,300/mt C&F, 8"-10" pipes are at $1,400/mt C&F, 12" pipes are at $1,450/mt C&F, 14" pipes are at $1,500/mt C&F, while 16" pipes are at $1,650/mt C&F.
Italian seamless pipes from Tenaris 18" grade B made to ASTM A106/API 5L are quoted to the UAE at $2,450/mt C&F, 20"-24" pipes are at around $2,500-2,600/mt C&F, while 26"-28" pipes are at $2,750-2,800/mt C&F.
Prices for Japanese (Sumitomo) seamless pipes 2"-6" grade B made to ASTM A106/API 5L for the UAE are standing at about $1,250-1,300/mt C&F, with 10"-12" pipes at the level of $1,400-1,450/mt C&F.
Quotations of 2"-6" seamless pipes grade B as per ASTM A106/API 5L to the UAE from France and Germany (V&M) are at $1,350/mt C&F, while 10"-12" pipes are at around $1,450-1,475/mt C&F.