MUSCAT -- Omani steel pipe exports to the United States will no longer be subject to anti-dumping measures, the US International Trade Commission (USITC) ruled late last week.

The verdict effectively brings to an end a roughly yearlong investigation by US authorities into allegations of dumping by pipe exporters from the Sultanate, as well Vietnam, India and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Issuing its determination in the case, the USITC concluded last week that US industry was "not materially injured or threatened with material injury by reason of imports of circular welded carbon-quality steel pipe" from Oman, as well as India, Vietnam, and the UAE.

The Trade Commission also rejected an earlier determination of the US Department of Commerce that the steel pipe imports in question were "subsidized" and sold in the United States at "less than fair value". "As a result of the USITC's negative determinations, no antidumping or countervailing duty orders will be issued," the Commission said in a statement.

The anti-dumping investigation was launched in response to a petition filed jointly by a consortium of US steel firms claiming that dumping by exporters from the four countries in question, including Oman, hurt steel plants in 16 US states.

The probe, which commenced in October 2011, was aimed at determining the amount of duties necessary to offset government subsidies allegedly enjoyed by exporters from Oman and the other countries. It was disclosed at the time that around 12 per cent of the estimated 1.4 million tons of circular welded steel pipe sold in the United States in 2010, worth around $1.4 billion, came from the four countries. Imports from Oman were estimated at $28.1 million. In 2011, imports from the countries in question totalled 206,000 tonnes, valued at $190 million, according to the USITC.

Last May, the US Department of Commerce announced preliminary anti-dumping duties on imports of circular welded carbon quality steel pipe from Oman, among other countries, it claimed were guilty of exporting into the United States below fair market cost. It named Sohar-based Al Jazeera Steel Products Co as the mandatory respondent in its anti-dumping investigation into steel pipes exported from Oman into the US market. Al Jazeera, along with all other Omani producers/exporters, received a preliminary dumping margin of 5.59 per cent. The interim ruling required exporters to post bonds or make cash deposits corresponding to the value of the duties pending a final decision by the Department of Commerce in November.

Welcoming last week's determination, Al Jazeera Steel's Chief Executive Officer, Bhaskar Dutta, said: "We are extremely happy because the anti-dumping threat has been completely lifted, enabling us to go about our normal business. We have been doing this business for more than a decade, and never did anticipate that an issue of this nature would crop up. So we are really happy with this news, which now allows us to pursue our business as before."

Dutta applauded the Omani government's staunch support in contesting the US action. "We are extremely thankful to the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, as well as Oman's WTO Representative at Geneva, for all the support they gave us during the investigation. The Omani government too is happy with this result because the countervailing duty has been lifted."

As a result of the latest USITC verdict, anti-dumping duties added by Al Jazeera Steel to its steel pipe exports to the US market, now stand lifted, Dutta said. The CEO also voiced hope that similar action brought by Canadian authorities on Omani steel pipe exports to the North American nation would be scrapped as well.

The US is an important market for Al Jazeera's Steel products. Annual exports have tripled from around 12,000 - 13,000 metric tonnes a couple of years ago to around 36,000 metric tonnes last year.