Seamless pipe demand in Saudi Arabia has strengthened due to the many projects being implemented in the region. Domestic quotations of locally produced seamless pipes in Saudi Arabia have gone up by $40-50/mt over the past month. At the same time, offers of Chinese material have stayed unchanged. Import quotations of Ukrainian and Russian seamless pipes have increased by $10-40/mt over the period in question, while South African suppliers have raised their offers by $30-50/mt. Offers of top quality seamless pipes from Germany and Japan have moved up by $200-250/mt over the past month. Market players believe seamless pipe offers in Saudi Arabia will continue to increase as demand will remain strong throughout the year thanks to government-funded and private sector projects.
Market traders report that local manufacturer Jubail Energy Services Company (JESCO) is offering seamless pipes of 6"-12" grade B made to API 5L to the domestic market at around $1,250-1,270/mt ex-works.
Offers of Chinese seamless pipes of 2"-6" grade B made to ASTM are being given to the Saudi Arabian market at $950-1,030/mt CFR.
Quotations of Ukrainian seamless pipes (Interpipe) of 2"-8" grade B made to ASTM are at $1,150-1,200/mt CFR. Russian seamless pipes (Volzhsky) of 2"-8" grade B as per ASTM are being offered to the Saudi market at $1,100-1,200/mt CFR.
South African seamless pipes (ArcelorMittal), 3"-6" grade B made to ASTM, are quoted at around $1,350-1,400/mt CFR.
Quotations of seamless pipes from France and Germany (V&M) and from Japan (Sumitomo) for 2"-10" grade B made to ASTM are at about $1,750-1,800/mt CFR.