Trade Cases

Certain Vietnamese P&T Products Are Not Skirting Duties: Commerce

August 9, 2023

Certain welded pipe and tube products being exported from Vietnam to the US are not circumventing antidumping duties on Taiwanese pipe products, the US Department of Commerce said this week.

This is the agency’s final determination in a circumvention case brought forth last year by Atlas Tube, Bull Moose Tube, Maruichi American Corp., Nucor Tubular Products, Searing Industries, Vest Inc., Wheatland Tube, and the United Steelworkers union.

Commerce said circular welded carbon steel pipe and tube and circular welded non-alloy steel pipe were not completed in Vietnam using hot-rolled steel made in Taiwan. Therefore, the imports are not circumventing antidumping duties on the tubular products from Taiwan.

In May, Commerce conducted in-person verification in Vietnam of information reported in the case by SeAH Steel Vina and Vietnam Haiphong Hongyuan Machinery Manufactory.

SeAH Vina said it believes Commerce “inappropriately initiated these inquiries, despite negative determinations concerning SeAH Vina in earlier, separate proceedings.” Because of this negative ruling, however, Commerce said in a Federal Register filing that it finds it “unnecessary to address SeAH Vina’s argument.”

These final determinations are the same as Commerce’s preliminary findings announced in April.

While these findings are negative with regard to duty circumvention, Commerce also initially ruled in April that circumvention is occurring on other pipe and tube products.

Laura Miller

Laura Miller is a reporter and editor for Steel Market Update. She has held a variety of positions within the steel industry since 2007, including reporting and editing for Steel Business Briefing/Platts, the Association for Iron and Steel Technology, and Kallanish Commodities, as well as marketing for what was then known as ThyssenKrupp Steel USA (now AM/NS Calvert). After a five-year hiatus working across other industries, she returned to steel in 2021 and has covered the flat rolled, tubular, and trade areas of the industry. She is a member of the Association of Women in the Metal Industries and a past-president of the AWMI Pittsburgh Chapter. She holds a BA in Latin American Studies from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania. She can be reached at laura@steelmarketupdate.com or 724-759-7869.