Italy has put 33,000 tonnes of Russian hot briquetted iron (HBI) up for sale after it was seized as part of an investigation into a suspected breach of EU sanctions. The cargo has a starting price of €6.8 million, or about €207 per tonne.
The material is being held in a customs-controlled area of the port of Costa Morena Est and has not been released for free circulation in the European Union. According to the Judicial Sales Institute of Lecce and Brindisi, Italian and international steelmakers and traders will be eligible to take part in the sale.
The cargo arrived in Italy in November 2025. Investigators are examining suspected serious discrepancies and falsifications in ship documents concerning port calls and loading operations. Russian HBI imports into the EU were subject to a quota of 651,906 tonnes in 2025; a full ban took effect on January 1, 2026.
The low starting price could attract buyers amid tight HBI supply. However, market participants say they first need clarity on customs clearance and costs under the EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM). “Even with all transportation and storage expenses, it is a very cheap price. But, of course, we first need to know all details for customs clearance and, what is important, CBAM costs for Russian HBI, which no one has even calculated,” a market source told SteelOrbis.
For comparison, a 90,000-tonne Libyan HBI tender closed at $380 per tonne FOB in mid-October, equivalent to about $405–410 per tonne CFR for European buyers. The market also heard of a Venezuelan cargo traded at $370–375 per tonne CFR, though the information could not be confirmed by publication time. Russian HBI offers to Turkey and Mediterranean markets were no lower than $370 per tonne CFR, and more commonly stood at $380–385. Freight from the Baltic Sea has reached $75–80 per tonne.
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