According to the data issued by Russia's Ministry of Economic Development, in January-February this year Russia registered a 25.6 percent year-on-year increase in its steel pipe production to 1.657 million mt.
In particular, in the first two months of the current year, Russia's output of electric-welded large diameter (LD) pipes increased by 26.8 percent, its production of electric-welded pipes, excluding LD pipes, went up by 35.9 percent, its production of welded pipes went down by 15.1 percent, production of seamless pipes saw an increase of 17.3 percent, output of casing pipes increased by 28.4 percent, production of drill pipes doubled, while output of tubing went down by 1.5 percent, all compared to January-February 2010.
In January-February this year, an increase in pipe production was registered by all major domestic pipemakers. In particular, TMK's Volzhsky Pipe Plant saw its pipe production rise by 32 percent to 233,700 mt, its subsidiary Taganrog Metallurgical Works saw a 13 percent increase in output to 114,600 mt, its Seversky Tube Works registered a 10.5 percent increase to 110,300 mt, while its Sinarsky Pipe Plant saw its pipe output increase by 8.2 percent to 89,600 mt, all compared to January-February 2010. Meanwhile, OMK's Vyksa Steel Works (Vyksa) increased its pipe output by 5.9 percent to 332,100 mt, ChTPZ Group's Pervouralsky Novotrubny Works saw a 19 percent rise in its pipe output to 117,700 mt and the same group's Chelyabinsk Tube Rolling Plant saw its pipe production increase by 67.8 percent to 191,800 mt, all compared to the first two months of the previous year.
In January of the current year, Russia's steel pipe exports increased by 45.8 percent year on year to 78,800 mt. Meanwhile, the country's steel pipe imports exceeded its xports by 2.3 times in January, amounting to 180,100 mt - up 267.6 percent year on year. The share of imported steel pipes in the domestic market amounted to 19.6 percent in January (15.3 percent in 2010, 10.8 percent in 2009). The ministry noted the significant increase in Ukrainian pipe imports to 98,600 mt, which constitutes 10.7 percent of domestic consumption.