CBP Penalizes 10 OCTG Importers in EAPA Investigation
CBP has imposed interim measures on 10 companies cited for allegedly evading antidumping and countervailing duties when importing oil country tubular goods (OCTG) from China.
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The agency said it had reasonable suspicion that the companies had been transshipping OCTG originating from China via Thailand, leading to its investigation of the companies under the Enforce and Protect Act. OCTG piping is used in oil and gas production.
The companies are Amek Aluminum & Stainless; Centric Pipe; Copley International Group; Energy Pipe & Equipment Rentals; Kana Energy Services; LE Commodities; Lixin Energy Group (HK); Longfellow Energy; Trek Metals; and TSPGA.
According to CBP’s June 4 news release, CBP will enforce the following measures as it continues to investigate the companies’ activities: require live entry for the importers; suspend or extend importers’ entries without final computation or determination of duties (liquidation), as appropriate; and review importers’ continuous bonds and application of single transaction bonds for their entries, as appropriate.
CBP could also pursue civil penalties or investigations into criminal violations should its initial investigation warrant those measures.
According to a May 31 notice of initiation of investigation and interim measures, CBP had been investigating the companies individually, but it subsequently decided to consolidate the investigations because the investigations covered merchandise subject to the same AD/CVD orders on OCTG from China. The companies also used two companies in Thailand -- Petroleum Equipment (Thailand) (PET) and Thai Oil Pipe -- to transship the goods, and the importers’ entries overlap with a similar period of investigation.