Russia announces new 260 ths mt duty free quota for steel pipes

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said yesterday that Ukraine would receive an allowance of 260 ths mt of duty-free steel pipe imports in 2010, Kommersant reported this morning. Putin said the pipes would primarily be used by Gazprom and Transneft. Russia stopped duty-free imports of Ukrainian pipes on April 1 after the two governments failed to reach a new agreement.  Ukraine had been allowed a duty-free quota of 55 ths mt of steel pipes in 1Q10. The largest exporter of pipes to Russia from Ukraine is Interpipe, which controls Nyzhnyodniprovsk Pipe (UX: NITR UK), Novomoskovsk Pipe (UX: NVTR UK) and Niko Tube.