Steel product imports through Porto Marghera (port of Venice and one of the main ports serving northern Italy) experienced a slowdown in April. In the month in question, 235,823 metric tons of steel - both finished and semi finished products - arrived at Marghera port, down 1.2 percent compared to March. In the first four months of the year, steel product arrivals at the Venetian port totaled 739,084 metric tons, down 19.9 percent from the same period last year.
Zero scrap imports passed through Marghera port in April, the second month in succession that this has happened. The declining trend as regards arrivals of pig iron at the port continued in April - down to 66,809 metric tons from 145,660 metric tons in January this year. Slab imports also fell in April, down 46.6 percent month on month to 13,000 metric tons. On the other hand, imports of coils and billets through Marghera port rose in April compared to March by 17.5 percent and 39.8 percent respectively, increasing to 95,333 mt and 60,681 mt.