October 20, 2011
Asian shipbuilding focus of US ITC hearing on plate duties |
Antidumping and countervailing duties on cut-to-length plate from India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan and Korea were the subjects of a duty sunset review hearing yesterday at the US International Trade Commission.
The majority of the debate centered on the Asian shipbuilding market, as US mill representatives cast doubt that the Asian ship market could consume a majority of Japanese and Korean plate, based on diminishing backlogs.
They believe excess plate production will show up on US shores and disrupt the domestic market.
Korean and Japanese representatives refuted claims of a shipbuilding slowdown in the region, notes Steel Business Briefing, which attended the hearing in Washington DC. India and Indonesia were not represented.
"This industry is very vulnerable, you need to continue these orders," said attorney Roger Schagrin, who represented US producers SSAB Americas and Evraz North America.
J. Christopher Wood, an attorney for Japanese mills, said the US concerns were exaggerated. "We heard a lot about shipbuilding today. I don't think the situation is as dire as they say," he said. "There just isn't a lot of interest in shipping (c-t-l plate) to the US."
The ITC will render a decision in the case on November 22. This is the second five-year sunset review of these duties.
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