According to preliminary data issued by the Ukrainian Association of Ore-dressing Enterprises (Ukrrudprom), in January-February of the current year Ukrainian steelmakers' imports of iron ore fell by 65.7 percent to 208,500 mt, while Ukrainian mining companies' iron ore exports rose by 5.2 percent to 5.284 million mt, both compared to the same period last year.
In particular, in the first two months of this year, Ukraine's exports of iron ore concentrate increased by 2.6 percent year on year to 2.161 million mt, its exports of pellets went up by 10.6 percent to 1.803 million mt, while its exports of sintered ore climbed by 32.7 percent to 1.283 million mt. In addition, Ukraine shipped 36,200 mt of agglomerate for export - down 88.7 percent compared to January-February 2010. Ukraine's main exporter of iron ore is Ferrexpo Poltava Mining.
On the other hand, in January-February this year, Ukraine's steel producers imported 54,500 mt of iron ore concentrate - down 87.3 percent year on year, 130,000 mt of sintered ore - down 7.1 percent year on year, and 24,000 mt of pellets - down 39.8 percent year on year. However, Ukrainian steelmakers did not import any agglomerate in the first two months of 2011.
Ukraine's main importers of iron ore in January-February were ISD's Alchevsk Iron and Steel Works (127,500 mt of sintered ore), Ilyich Iron and Steel Works of Mariupol (54,500 million mt of iron ore - down 463,900 mt on the volume imported in the same period last year), and ISD's Dneprovsky Iron and Steel Works named after F. Dzerzhinsky (26,500 mt of iron ore - down 76.3 percent year on year). Meanwhile, Zaporizhstal and Dnepropetrovsk Iron and Steel Works named after Petrovsky, with a total of 32,000 mt pellet imports in January-February 2010, did not import any iron ore in January-February this year.