Europe’s principal steel gateway, the port of Antwerp in Belgium, saw ferrous scrap exports fall in the first quarter of 2015. Steel imports fared better and remained steady year-on-year during the period, a representative from the port authority tells Kallanish. Chinese landing grew slightly as a percentage of total imports from full year 2014 to Q1 15.

Only 250,000 tonnes of scrap left Antwerp in Q1 15. “This is a much lower figure compared to Q1 last year considering that between 1.2 million tonnes and 1.5mt of scrap are exported each year from the port’s scrap terminal”, the representative says.

Meanwhile European steel imports through the port were flat y-o-y in Q1 15. “1.1mt of steel reached the port in Q1 15 and this was stable compared to Q1 14. Steel exports were around the same level although slightly higher [… in Q1 14]”, the representative adds, without disclosing numbers.

Overall in 2014 Antwerp handled total imports of 4.5mt of steel products. Of this total, around 2mt or 44.5% were of Chinese origin. In Q1 15 global imports touched 1.1mt of which 500,000t or 45.5% was also imported from China.