TMK Sees Fall in Pipe Shipments

18.07.2008 (17:45)

TMK's pipe shipments decreased 5 percent to 1.495m tonnes in the first half of 2008, Russia's largest manufacturer and exporter of steel pipes said according to RBC .

Specifically, welded pipe shipments slid 3 percent to 511,000 tonnes. TMK's pipe supplies on the Russian market shrank 7.6 percent, whereas pipe consumption dropped 11 percent in Russia. The company puts the fall on the Russian pipe market down to delays in the implementation of large pipeline projects. Nevertheless, the company assesses the prospects of the development of the Russian large-diameter pipe market positively, as it expects more tenders for the supply of such pipes to be held in the second half of 2008.

The company also plans to launch a new production complex with a capacity of 600,000 tonnes of seamless pipes per year at Taganrog Metallurgical Works in the second half of September.