South Korea: Scrap iron arrivals at major ports exceed 40,000 t

• POSCO resumes imports after month-long pause
• Increased supply may pressure market sentiment

SteelDaily: South Korea’s major ports recorded 41,800 tonnes (t) of imported scrap iron arrivals in the fourth week of April, largely driven by POSCO resuming its imports after a month-long pause.

Port-wise arrivals

Various grades of scrap iron arrived steadily through key ports, including Incheon, Pohang, Gunsan, Gwangyang, and Jinhae.

Incheon: Approximately 5,500 t of HMS were expected to arrive.

Gunsan: Around 10,000 t, including SHRD, H2, and Shindachi grades, were scheduled for arrival.

Jinhae: A relatively small volume of about 1,300 t was expected in the Gyeongnam Province.

Gwangyang: Ships carrying 2,000-3,000 t of scrap arrived at the port, with a total cargo of approximately 10,000 t.

Pohang: The port was scheduled to receive the largest shipment of approximately 15,000 t of scrap via the Pacific Wave, a large vessel with a total capacity exceeding 30,000 t. A market participant stated, “The vessel will first discharge its cargo at Pohang Port, before proceeding to Gwangyang Port for partial unloading.”

Market update

Although these shipments are not directly linked to immediate market conditions, several industry sources note that the increase in overall supply could influence market sentiment.

A market participant noted, “The rise in import volumes could also exert downward pressure on the market.”

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