NEW YORK, Jan 7 (Reuters) - Leading U.S. steel producer United States Steel Corp (X.N) said Thursday it was making an allegation of "critical circumstances" in an ongoing anti-dumping and duty investigation related to pipe imported from China.

The company said in a press release that it filed the petition with other parties in response to a surge of Chinese seamless standard, line and pressure pipe entering the U.S. market after a September 2009 filing.

The petitioners are seeking to have remedial duties assessed on certain imports that entered the United States after the filing of petitions, but prior to the time in which duties are normally assessed.

Under U.S. and international law, duties can be assessed on imports that entered the U.S. market up to 90 days prior to such a determination where evidence exists that the foreign producers accelerated imports in an attempt to avoid duties, U.S. Steel said.

In the current case, the company added, Chinese imports of seamless standard, line and pressure pipe increased by more than 290 percent in the three months after the petition was filed, compared with the three months prior to the filing.

On Jan. 5, the United States slapped additional duties of 43 percent to 289 percent on imports of more than $300 million worth of Chinese-made steel wire decking that the U.S. Commerce Department said was being sold at unfairly low prices. Story: [ID:nN05196932].

The preliminary anti-dumping duties imposed on Tuesday are in addition to duties ranging from 2 percent to 438 percent announced by the Commerce Department in November to offset government subsidies given to Chinese wire decking producers.

If the petitioners "finding of critical circumstances" filing is successful with the Chinese pipe, remedial duties could be assessed on imports entering the market within 90 days prior to publication of the preliminary duty determination.

The Department of Commerce is currently scheduled to make a preliminary determination on Feb. 16.