Turkish pipe imports decreased in 1H 2014

The latest data provided by the Turkish Statistical Institute (TUIK) shows that the import of seamless steel pipes in the country dropped significantly during the month of June this year. The total volume of imports in the first six-month period also experienced a drop.

The country imported 17,857 tonnes of seamless steel pipes during this month, down 22 percent from imports in the same month last year. China was the largest source of seamless pipe imports for Turkey. Chinese exports to Turkey accounted for 65 percent of the country's total imports. During June, Turkey's imports from China amounted to 11,632 tons.

Meanwhile, Turkey's seamless steel pipe imports in the first half of 2014 amounted to 126,273 tons. At the same time, the country's imports fell by 11 percent compared to imports in the corresponding six-month period in 2013, when Turkish imports of seamless pipes amounted to 141,909 tons.

In the first half of 2014, China became the leader among exporters of seamless pipes to Turkey. Imports from China totaled 77,860 tons, accounting for 62 percent of Turkey's total imports during the period. It is worth noting that China continues to increase its pipe production and reached 15.8 million tonnes in the first half of the year, while increasing exports. In second place was Ukraine, which exported 11,333 tons. This is followed by Germany with an export of 9,538 tons.