Turkey’s CIB comments on OCTG investigations in US

The Turkish Steel Exporters' Association (CIB) has stated that the Turkish steel industry is going through a difficult time after the US initiated its antidumping (AD) duty investigations of oil country tubular goods (OCTG) from India, South Korea, the Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, and Vietnam and its countervailing duty (CVD) investigations of OCTG from India and Turkey. In addition, the Turkish steel industry's export volume has declined due to lower global commodity prices, according to the CIB.
 
CIB chairman Namık Ekinci said that the antidumping duty investigations were launched on the grounds that Turkish OCTG pipes are being sold below the market price in the US, adding that it is curious the US did not initiate antidumping duty investigations against Canada, Austria, Japan, Germany and Mexico which export more to the US than Turkey does. Taking this into account, Ekinci said he believes that the investigation is based on political reasons and that the results will be in favor of Turkey.
 
Mr. Ekinci said that the US is a very important export market for Turkey and one of the countries where Turkey faces the most duty investigations. The CIB chairman recalled that Turkey has won all trade cases so far, though Turkish companies have incurred financial losses in the process.
 
CIB board member and Borusan Mannesmann chairman Bulent Demircioglu expressed his agreement with Ekinci, stating he believes that the investigation will not result in any antidumping duties for Turkey given Turkey's share in US imports and its export prices. He also added that, if the US decides to impose an antidumping duty on South Korean OCTG products, this might work in Turkey's favor.
 
According to the CIB, in 2012 Turkey exported 337,000 mt of steel pipes, with an export value of $313 million. The US accounted for 18 percent of total Turkish steel pipe exports. During the first seven months of 2013, Turkey's steel pipe exports to the US decreased by 34.8 percent to $120.37 million and by 28.2 percent to 104,000 mt, both year on year. The most important reason for the decline in the Turkish steel industry's exports was lower global commodity prices, as well as US importers turning towards other countries.