BANGKOK: The latest import statistics indicate that the scrap imports by Thailand during September this year dropped considerably over the previous month. Also, the scrap imports witnessed sharp decline when compared with the same month a year ago.
The scrap imports by Thailand during the month of September this year totaled 41,000 tons. The imports plunged heavily by 77.1% when compared with the scrap imports during the same month a year ago. The country had imported 179,000 tons of steel scrap during September last year. Meantime, the scrap imports have declined sharply by 66.1% over the previous month. Thailand had imported 123,000 tons of scrap during the month of August this year.
The largest scrap exporter to Thailand during September ’15 was Australia. The scrap imports by Thailand from Australia totaled 18,000 tons. The scrap imports from the country accounted for nearly 44% of the total scrap imports by Thailand during the month. The Australian scrap exports to Thailand dropped significantly by 46.7% year-on-year. The second largest scrap exporter to Thailand during the month was Panama. The imports from the country totaled 3,000 tons, accounting for approximately 7.3% of the total scrap imports by Thailand during the month. The scrap imports from Panama were down by 38.4% year-on-year.
The country’s scrap imports during initial nine months of the year totaled 812,000 tons. The imports during this period dropped heavily by 23.5% when compared with the corresponding nine-month period in 2014. The main steel scrap exporter to Thailand during this period was the USA. The imports from the US totaled 341,000 tons, accounting for 42% of the total imports. The imports from the US have increased by 7.8% year-on-year. In second place was Australia with 132,000 tons, falling sharply by 58.8% over the previous year.
The scrap imports by Thailand are projected to total around 1.1 million tons during the entire year 2015.
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