India: Scrap arrivals plunge 60% in first 2 weeks of April; western region emerges top importer

Total imported scrap arrivals at Indian ports in the first two weeks of April (till 13 April) showed a steep 60% drop to 99,342 t, compared to 245,968 t seen in the same two weeks in March.

On the other hand, scrap arrivals stood at 81,748 t in the first week, as per the latest updates, which was 40% lower than in the first week of March 2023.

Region-wise arrivals

West: The western region received 36,539 t of scrap in the first two weeks of April, which was 55% lower than in the corresponding weeks of last month. In March's first two weeks, 81,454 t of scrap arrivals were recorded in the western part of India.

Mundra and Nhava Sheva ports received the major chunk of 59% of total arrivals in the first two weeks. SMW Ispat received the largest quantity in the western region. The company received approximately 4,597 t in the first two weeks.

North: North India received 36,064 t of scrap in the first two weeks of April, which was 66% lesser than in the first two weeks of March. In March's first two weeks, the region received 106,497 t. This indicates that region-wise scrap arrivals went down in the north compared with last month.

Chawapayal ICD, Kilarpur ICD, Ludhiana ICD, and Samalakha(PANIPAT) ICD received the major chunk of 72% of the total arrivals in the first two weeks of April. Jaideep Ispat remained the top importer with approximately 2,617 t in the first two weeks.

South: South India received 21,616 t of scrap in the first two weeks of this month, down 57% from 50,170 t during the first two weeks of March.

Chennai Port accounted for 91% of total scrap arrivals till 13 April at 19,721 t.

J R Metal and Prakash Ferrous remained the top recipients in the southern region.

East: In the eastern region, scrap arrivals were lower compared to the other regions of the country due to the predominance of sponge-based steel mills here. Total scrap arrivals stood at 5,123 t in the first two weeks out of which Kolkata Port received 2,525 t till 13 April. Jindal Stainless received around 1,566 t.

Grade-wise imports

The major chunk of imports was HMS grade, with total volumes assessed at 52,455 t till 13 April. In the first week, 43,005 t of scrap arrivals were recorded followed by 9,450 t in the second week of April.

The total LMS grade received was 12,375 t followed by the MS shredded grade at 9,284 t.