BANGKOK: The latest import statistics indicate that the scrap imports by Thailand during December 2015 declined heavily over the previous year. The imports by the country totaled 67,000 tons during the month. This is significantly down by over 20% when compared with the imports during the same month a year before. Thailand had imported 85,000 tons of scrap steel during December 2014.
Thailand’s scrap steel imports have been on a decline for several months now. This is the fifth month in a row that the country’s scrap steel imports have registered decline.
The largest scrap exporter to Thailand during December ’15 was Australia. The scrap imports by Thailand from Australia totaled 30,000 tons. The scrap imports from the country accounted for nearly 45% of the total scrap imports by Thailand during the month. The Australian scrap exports to Thailand surged higher significantly by over 900% year-on-year.
The second largest scrap exporter to Thailand during the month was the US. The imports from the country totaled 27,000 tons, accounting for more than 40% of the total scrap imports by Thailand during the month. The scrap imports from the top two destinations contributed more than 85% of the country’s monthly imports.
The country’s scrap imports during the whole year 2015 totaled 949,000 tons. The imports during this year dropped heavily by 31.3% when compared with the previous year. The average monthly scrap steel imports by the country stood at 79,000 tons, dropping below 1 million tons for the first time in history.
