Iran, Saudi Arabia and Qatar reported significant on-year increases in steel exports in 2018, while United Arab Emirates’ shipments abroad declined, according to newly-published worldsteel data.

Qatar saw an especially big jump in exports of 167% to 1.41 million tonnes, worldsteel says in its Steel Statistical Yearbook 2019 monitored by Kallanish. This tonnage was entirely long products exports compared to 239,000t of longs exports in 2017. This represents almost all of Qatar Steel’s 1.5m t/year domestic-based rebar production capacity.

Saudi Arabian steel exports surged 56% in 2018 to 1.78mt. This was driven by a 90% rise in longs shipments to 713,000t following the loosening by Saudi authorities of longs export restrictions in 2017. Moreover, Saudi semi-finished product exports reached 394,000t versus only 16,000t in 2017. Flats and tubular products exports, however, declined -3% and -23% respectively to 405,000t and 240,000t.

Iran’s steel exports rose 24% in 2018 to 9.27mt. This came as longs exports soared 131% to 1.73mt and flats exports rose 59% to 995,000t. Tubular products shipments were up 124% to 255,000t. Semis exports rose only 5% to 6.3mt, slowing from the 76% on-year growth seen in 2017.

UAE steel exports meanwhile fell -12% to 2.58mt. This came as longs exports declined -13% to 583,000t and flats exports slumped -23% to 698,000t. Tubular products shipments fell -6% to 302,000t. After surging in 2016 and 2017, UAE semis exports fell -5% in 2018 to 994,000t.

Notably, Omani steel exports rose 19% in 2018 to 779,000t, driven by a 32% surge in semis shipments to 633,000t. However, longs exports fell -56% to only 39,000t.

Bahrain steel exports declined -15% in 2018 to 665,000t.