Pipeliners

MOSCOW. Jan 25 (Interfax) - Russia's leading pipe industry lobbysaid 2005 was a good year for the country's pipe producers. "The tendency for steady growth in the industry resulting fromstrategic innovative modernization programs and re-equipping productionlines was reinforced," the Russian Pipe Industry Development Foundationsaid. "The Russian pipe industry is now capable of meeting allrequirements of Russian oil, gas and machine-building companies both interms of the range and volume of pipe production. In addition, exportsexpanded geographically, from 16 countries in 2000 to 60 in 2005," theFoundation said. Output of many types of pipe rose in 2005: welded general purposepipes increased 7.4%, oil pipeline tubes 6.7% and shaped pipes 20%. Butproduction continued to fall for others: by 19.5% for seamless stainlesssteel tubes, 23.1% for ball-bearing tubes and 3.9% for general pipes. Ukrainian pipe shipments to Russia increased more than 10% overallin 2005, the Foundation said. "Growth was more than 30% for stainlesspipes and oil-well tubing and 200%-300% for water and gas mains pipingand oil pipeline tubes. Ukrainian exports of large-diameter pipes toRussia also increased significantly, by more than 20% in the year," thestatement reads. There was no control over Ukrainian pipe imports, which Ukrainianmanufacturers are selling at dumping prices in Russia, in 2005, theFoundation said. "But today there is every sign that the terms of competition areevening out, at least for small-and medium-diameter pipes. On January31, 2006, the government's Resolution [No. 824 of December 28, 2005] onMeasures to Safeguard the Economic Interests of Russian Manufacturers ofSelected Types of Steel Pipe enters into effect. This imposes five-yearanti-dumping duties on imports of five types of pipe originating inUkraine," the statement reads. The Pipe Industry Development Foundation regards the resolution onanti-dumping measures to be the first step towards achieving equal termsof competition with foreign pipe manufacturers on the domestic Russianmarket, the statement said. It said the next step ought to be a government resolution on quotasfor large-diameter pipe imports. A decision on this will be made uponcompletion on February 3 of an investigation into these imports.