The US Department of Commerce has self-launched an anti-circumvention inquiry on imports of oil country tubular goods (OCTG) from Brunei and the Philippines. 

Commerce alleges that OCTG from Brunei and the Philippines is using Chinese hot-rolled as skelp. Commerce further alleges that this constitutes “minor processing,” which would cause it to run afoul of US anti-dumping rules in place against Chinese hot-rolled, Kallanish understands.

The US imported no welded OCTG from Brunei from 2014-2016 and then $29 million worth from 2017-2019. Likewise, OCTG shipments from the Philippines increased from $69m to $105m in the same time periods.