US imposes steel pipe tariff on Turkish firms

PARIS/LONDON - Reuters

The US Commerce Department’s preliminary report ruled that manufacturers in eight countries, including Turkey, are selling steel pipe at unfairly low prices. AP photo

The U.S. Department of Commerce said it had found dumping of steel pipe imports from eight countries, including Turkey, as a result of an investigation it launched last July.

In a preliminary decision dated Feb. 18, the Department of Commerce, said that manufacturers in India, the Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine and Vietnam were selling the kind of steel pipe mainly used by oil and natural gas producers at unfairly low prices in the United States.

The probe was launched last July in response to a petition from producers including Europe’s Tenaris, Vallourec North American companies Northwest Pipe Company and U.S. Steel, and Russia’s TMK, all of which have production or manufacturing sites in the United States.

Imports of oil country tubular goods (OCTG) from the nine countries totaled nearly $1.8 billion in 2012, more than double the 2010 total, as rising U.S. oil and natural gas production boosted demand.

“We are disappointed by the preliminary determinations at the Department of Commerce and by its failure to deal with important issues at this stage of the investigations,” a spokeswoman for U.S. Steel said.

A final ruling by the Department of Commerce is expected “on or about” July 8, it said in the statement.

The U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) is then expected to give a final decision on Aug. 21.