Activity in Saudi Arabia's seamless pipe market has been slow over the past month as buyers prefer to keep their stocks low towards the end of the year. As a result, import offers of seamless pipes for Saudi buyers have been trending down again over the period under review. Thus, Ukrainian suppliers have reduced their offers for Saudi buyers by $20-40/mt, while import quotations of Chinese seamless pipes have decreased by $10-20/mt over the past month. Over the same period, offers of Japanese material have moved down by $15-30/mt, while offers of South African seamless pipes to Saudi Arabia have remained unchanged. Meanwhile, Saudi buyers prefer to postpone deals given the downtrend in the market and to book material only for immediate requirements. In such market conditions, seamless pipe prices are unlikely to increase in the short term.
Most offers of Chinese seamless pipes of 2"-6" grade B made to ASTM are being given to the Saudi Arabian market at $620-650/mt CFR.
Quotations of Ukrainian seamless pipes (Interpipe) of 2"-6" grade B made to ASTM A106/API 5L to Saudi Arabia are at $960-1,010/mt CFR, while 8"-10" pipes are offered at around $980-1,030/mt CFR.
South African seamless pipes (ArcelorMittal), 2"-6" grade B made to ASTM A106, are quoted at around $1,030-1,050/mt CFR Saudi Arabia.
Quotations from Japan (NSSMC) for seamless pipes of 2"-6" grade B made to ASTM A106/API 5L are at about $1,300-1,350/mt CFR Saudi Arabia.