According to the statistics released by the Shipbuilders' Association of Japan (SAJ), the Japanese shipbuilding industry consumed a total of 4.26 million mt of ordinary steel in 2011, decreasing 5.1 percent compared to the ordinary steel consumption level recorded in 2011. The association foresees a 9.2 percent decline in the ordinary steel consumption of Japanese shipbuilders in 2012, falling to 3.87 million mt.
Meanwhile, the data released by the SAJ shows that Japanese shipbuilders' steel plate consumption amounted to 3.7 million mt in 2011, decreasing five percent year on year. In 2012, shipbuilders's steel plate consumption is forecast to total 3.36 million mt, down 9.1 percent compared to 2011.