Belgium's ferrous scrap exports declined 11% in 2013

BRUSSELS (Scrap Monster):  According to latest trade statistics released by Belgian government agency, the ferrous scrap exports by the country declined considerably during the previous calendar year. The country’s scrap exports during 2013 totaled 3.219 million tons. The exports have dropped by 10.9% when compared with the country’s scrap exports during the previous year.

The largest destination of Belgian scrap was Turkey. The scrap imports by Turkey totaled 1.085 million tons during the year, accounting for nearly 34% of the total scrap exports out of Belgium. The scrap exports from Belgium to Turkey were down 17.3% when compared with those during the previous year.

The second largest importer of Belgian ferrous scrap was Egypt. The imports by the country totaled 741,000 tons during the entire year 2013, higher by 12% year-on-year. The exports to Egypt accounted for 23% share of the total exports by Belgium during the year. In third place was France with total imports of 598,000 tons. The country’s scrap imports from Belgium were marginally down by 0.4% over the year, according to data. The top three export destinations together accounted for more than three-fourth of the total scrap exports.

The other major export destinations were: the Netherlands (226,000 tons, down 17.2%), Luxembourg (215,000 tons, down 22%) and Vietnam (129,000 tons, up 1,504.3%).