According to Ukrainian Association of Ore-dressing Enterprises (Ukrrudprom), in 2010 Ukrainian steelmakers' imports of iron ore fell by 42.7 percent to 2.226 million mt, while Ukrainian mining companies' iron ore exports rose by 15 percent to 32.871 million mt, both compared to 2009.
In particular, in 2010, Ukraine's exports of iron ore concentrate increased by 11.4 percent year on year to 14.72 million mt, its exports of pellets went up by 17 percent to 11.295 million mt, while its exports of sintered ore climbed by 13.5 percent to 6.07 million mt. In addition, in 2010 Ukraine also shipped 786,000 mt of agglomerate for export - up 2.1 times compared to 2009. Ukraine's main exporter of iron ore is Ferrexpo Poltava Mining.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian mining companies' deliveries of iron ore to the domestic market in 2010 increased by 17.4 percent year on year to 34.4 million mt.
On the other hand, in 2010, Ukraine's steel producers imported 1.166 mt of iron ore concentrate - down 61.5 percent year on year, 957,900 mt of sintered ore - up 56 percent year on year, and 101,500 mt of pellets - down 55.2 percent year on year. However, Ukrainian steelmakers did not import any agglomerate in 2010.
Ukraine's main importers of iron ore in 2010 were Ilyich Iron and Steel Works of Mariupol (1.381 million mt of iron ore - down 12 percent year on year), ISD's Dneprovsky Iron and Steel Works named after F. Dzerzhinsky (407,700 mt of iron ore - down 71.3 percent year on year), ISD's Alchevsk Iron and Steel Works (343,300 mt of sintered ore - down 47 percent), Zaporizhstal (50,600 mt of pellets - up 0.8 percent), and Dnepropetrovsk Iron and Steel Works named after Petrovsky (43,000 mt of pellets - down 76 percent).