According to preliminary data issued by the Ukrainian Association of Ore-dressing Enterprises (Ukrrudprom), in the half of this year the Ukrainian steelmakers' imports of iron ore fell by 37.3 percent to 1.408 million mt, while Ukrainian mining companies' iron ore exports rose by 38.6 percent to 16.357 million mt, both compared to the same period last year.
In particular, in H1 this year, Ukraine's exports of iron ore concentrate increased by 32.5 percent year on year to 7.335 million mt, its exports of pellets went up by 22.7 percent to 5.469 million mt, while its exports of sintered ore climbed by 58.6 percent to 2.866 million mt. In addition, during the period in question, Ukraine also shipped 686,500 mt of agglomerate, of which there were no exports during the same period last year.
On the other hand, in H1 of the current year, Ukraine's steel producers imported 850,900 million mt of iron ore concentrate - down 51.9 percent year on year, 503,900 mt of sintered ore - up 48 percent year on year, and 52,900 mt of pellets - down 53.3 percent year on year. However, Ukrainian steelmakers did not import any agglomerate in the first six months of this year.
Ukraine's main importers of iron ore in January-May this year were Ilyich Iron and Steel Works of Mariupol (1.016 million mt of iron ore - up 2.3 times year on year), Dneprovsky Iron and Steel Works named after F. Dzerzhinsky (248,000 mt of iron ore - down 75.5 percent year on year), Alchevsk Iron and Steel Works (99,000 mt - down 84.3 percent), and Dnepropetrovsk Iron and Steel Works named after Petrovsky (25,000 mt of pellets - down 81.5 percent, with no imports in June).