The Mexican Ministry of Economy decided that seamless steel pipe from China and other countries has entered Mexico at discriminatory prices, which implies unfair competition to Mexican producers. The ministry imposed an antidumping duty of US$1,252 per metric ton imported.
According to the resolution published Thursday in the Official Journal of the Federation (DOF), after conducting an investigation at the request of the Mexican company Tubos de Acero de Mexico (TAMSA), a subsidiary of Tenaris-Tamsa against domestic importers, Fersum, Tubos Aciarum, and Tubos y Barras Huecas. The fees will come into effect Friday.
The penalty was justified by findings that the China imported products at artificial prices into order to compete with domestic Mexican producers. "The Ministry of Economy determined that imports of seamless steel pipe were performed under conditions of price discrimination and that they posed a threat of injury to the domestic industry, which is why we determined to impose a final countervailing duty," said the report.
TAMSA's complaint was filed on December 11, 2012, and the penalty applies to seamless steel pipe, except stainless, with an outer diameter equal to or greater than five inches (141.3 mm actual outside diameter) less than or equal to 16 inches (406.4 mm OD real regardless of wall thickness), originating in China.