Ukraine in January-March this year, Ukraine reduced the export of semi-finished carbon steel products in volume terms by 5.4 times compared to the same period last year – to 194.469 thousand tons.
According to statistics released by the State Customs Service (SCS), exports of semi-finished carbon steel products during this period amounted to $102.250 million in monetary terms.
Most exports were carried out to Poland (43.51% of supplies in monetary terms), Dominican Republic (14.25%) and Bulgaria (11.23%).
In January-March, Ukraine imported from China 34 tons of semi-finished products worth $63 thousand.
As reported, Ukraine in 2022, exports of semi-finished products of carbon steel in volume terms reduced by 72% compared to the previous year – to 1 million 899.729 tons, in monetary terms by 70.9% – to $ 1 billion 191.279 million. The main export was carried out in Bulgaria (26.55% of supplies in monetary terms), Poland (13.97%) and Italy (12.13%).
In addition, Ukraine imported 5.558 thousand tons of similar products in 2022, which is 85.7% less than in 2021. In monetary terms, imports decreased by 86% – to $3.634 million. Imports were carried out from the Russian Federation (96.92% of supplies – before the war), China (1.84%) and Romania (1.21%).
Ukraine in January this year reduced the export of semi-finished carbon steel products in physical terms by 92.1% compared to the same period last year – to 38,341 thousand tons.
According to statistics released by the State Customs Service (SCS), in monetary terms, exports of semi-finished carbon steel products in January 2022 declined by 93% – to $20.897 million.
The main export was carried out to Poland (54.20% of supplies in money terms), Denmark (24.91%) and Italy (11.31%).
In January-2023, Ukraine did not import any semi-finished products, whereas in January-2022 it imported 2.606 thousand tons of these products for $1.546 million. Imports were carried out from Russia (100% of supplies).
As reported, in 2022, Ukraine reduced the export of semifinished products of carbon steel in physical terms by 72% compared to the previous year – to 1 million 899.729 tons, in monetary terms by 70.9% – to $ 1 billion 191.279 million. The main export was carried out in Bulgaria (26.55% of supplies in monetary terms), Poland (13.97%) and Italy (12.13%).
In addition, Ukraine imported 5.558 thousand tons of similar products in 2022, which is 85.7% less than in 2021. In monetary terms, imports decreased by 86% – to $3.634 million. Imports were carried out from the Russian Federation (96.92% of supplies – before the war), China (1.84%) and Romania (1.21%).
Ukrainian steelmaking companies in 2022, according to operational data, reduced the production of total rolled steel by 72% compared with the previous year – up to 5.350 million tons.
According to the association Ukrmetallurgprom, for 12 months of 2022, steel production fell by 70.7% – to 6.263 million tons, iron – by 69.8%, to 6.391 million tons.
As reported, in 2021, 21.165 million tons of cast iron (103.6% by 2020), 21.366 million tons of steel (103.6%), 19.079 million tons of rolled steel (103.5%) were produced.
Metinvest Mining and Metallurgical Group continues to produce steel products at its enterprises and produce iron ore raw materials under the constant threat of enemy shelling and under conditions of power shortage.
“Our enterprises, as far as it is possible under military conditions, continue to produce products for the defense and restoration of the country’s infrastructure, keep jobs and pay taxes,” the press service of Metinvest quoted the company’s general director Yuri Ryzhenkov as saying.
According to him, Metinvest’s enterprises in Ukraine are working under war conditions, but the work is also complicated by rising production costs, falling prices for certain types of products and logistical constraints due to the blocking of maritime exports. However, even under such difficult circumstances, the group’s enterprises continue to operate at different levels of utilization, taking into account security, logistics and economic factors.
“Kametstal” and the group’s joint venture “Zaporizhstal” continue to produce. Meanwhile, Kametsteel resumed production of pig iron, steel and rolled products in December after production was halted due to Russian attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure in late November 2022.
Construction of the 11th coal mining block is underway at the Pokrovsky Coal Group enterprises. Centralny GOK continues to produce pellets.
In general, the focus of the group’s enterprises is to promptly resume work or increase production levels under favorable conditions, according to the press release.
As before, the group’s priority remains to take care of its employees who support the production process. All facilities have bomb shelters manned for extended stays. The shelters are provided with water, food and medicines.
“Metinvest continues to fight the theft by rf, which illegally exported more than 234,000 tons of the company’s metal from Mariupol. In particular, 16 enterprises of the group filed lawsuits in the European Court of Human Rights against Russia for damages caused to property and assets of the group in Mariupol and other territories of Ukraine since February 24, 2022.
“Metinvest is a vertically integrated group of mining and metallurgical companies. The enterprises of the group are mainly located in Donetsk, Lugansk, Zaporozhye and Dnipropetrovsk regions.
The major shareholders of the holding are SCM Group (71.24%) and Smart Holding (23.76%) that manage it jointly.
Metinvest Holding LLC is the management company of Metinvest Group.
The United States will temporarily – for 12 months – suspend a 25% duty on Ukrainian steel imposed by President Trump under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina M. Raimondo has said.
“For steel mills to continue as an economic lifeline for the people of Ukraine, they must be able to export their steel. Today’s announcement is a signal to the Ukrainian people that we are committed to helping them thrive in the face of Putin’s aggression, and that their work will create a stronger Ukraine, both today and in the future,” the statement of the minister is given on the website of the ministry.
The report states that 1 in 13 Ukrainians is employed in the steel industry of Ukraine, and their work is well paid.
“We are talking about stopping the 25% tariffs imposed in 2018 by the Trump administration,” Yulia Svyrydenko, First Deputy Prime Minister and Economy Minister, commented on the decision of the U.S. Department of Commerce.
According to her, the Ministry of Economy has been working on this project for several years.
“The abolition of these duties will be a turning point in trade relations between Ukraine and the United States,” she stressed.
According to the State Statistics Service, in 2021, the export of ferrous metals from Ukraine to the United States increased by 50.5% compared to the previous year, to $70.76 million, and ferrous metal products – 11 times, to $16.85 million. In total, these two accounted for 55.4% of all exports from Ukraine.
The U.S. Department of Commerce also recalled that some of Ukraine’s largest steel mills have suffered the most from Putin’s barbarism, and Azovstal in Mariupol has become a symbol of Ukraine’s determination to resist Russian aggression. The ministry added that many Ukrainian steel mills continued to pay workers, feed and shelter their employees during the fighting, and some resumed production despite nearby fighting.
“Creating export opportunities for these mills is essential to their ability to continue employing their workers and maintaining one of Ukraine’s most important industries,” the statement said.
It also states that following the sanctions, U.S. exports to Russia of categories of goods subject to new U.S. export licensing requirements decreased by 97% in value terms compared to the same period in 2021 (February 24-April 29), and total exports fell by about 79%.
The Mining and Metallurgical Combine PJSC ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih (Dnipropetrovsk region) has opened a new metalware storage facility in Dnipro city with a loading capacity of 5,000 tonnes per month.
The new facility has a total area of 8,000 square meters and both indoor and outdoor storage yards, three cranes with carrying capacity up to 15,000-20,000 tonnes and its own railway spur. It can store up to 10,000 tonnes of steel products, the enterprise reported in its press release. The depot can provide services for motor vehicles as well.
As regional sales manager at ArcelorMittal Yevhen Chumachenko said, now the distribution network of the enterprise comprises nine storage facilities, two of which are in Kyiv and Lviv (two in each city), Kryvyi Rih, Odesa, Kharkiv, Ternopil and Dnipro.
Besides, according to him, the depot in Dnipro will serve as a logistic center for the certain districts of central, south and eastern Ukraine.
ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih is the largest rolled steel producer of in Ukraine.
