By John Helmer in Moscow Russia has seized a shipment of Egyptian oranges at Novorossiysk port, after discovering Mediterranean fruit-fly infestation. The orange move has been reported in the Russian media as tit for tat for Egyptian moves to seize three shipments of Russian wheat since May 13. Rosselkhoznadzor (RSN), the government’s food and farm […]

by John Helmer - Friday, May 22nd, 2009
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By John Helmer in Moscow Alexei Mordashov, controlling shareholder and chief executive of the Moscow-based Severstal group, has set a sale price on the group’s North American assets of $3.6 billion, according to a source close to the company. Lazard Freres is the investment banking firm advising Mordashov on the deal. The disclosure comes after […]

by John Helmer - Thursday, May 21st, 2009
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By John Helmer in Moscow Russian steelmakers in Moscow have confirmed that their export surge towards China, on which the revival of Russian mill capacity is currently based, is now threatened by an anti-dumping (AD) inquiry launched by Beijing. According to an unconfirmed report from Interfax China this week, Beijing has ordered an AD investigation […]

by John Helmer - Thursday, May 21st, 2009
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By John Helmer in Moscow The president of the Russian grain exporters’ association went on the offensive against Egypt today, charging the Egyptian government has so far failed to report any findings, or lodge any claims, against Russian wheat imports. According to Egyptian media reports, 137,000 tonnes of Russian grain cargoes have been detained from […]

by John Helmer - Wednesday, May 20th, 2009
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By John Helmer in Moscow Russia has abandoned its anti-piracy policy of fire, capture, arrest, and trial. Instead, the Defence Ministry and Navy have begun issuing orders to the destroyer Admiral Panteleyev, off the Horn of Africa, to put ashore the group of pirates it took on April 28. The Navy also appears to have […]

by John Helmer - Wednesday, May 20th, 2009
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By John Helmer in Moscow Severstal, the third-ranked Russian steelmaker, continues to suffer from owner and chief executive Alexei Mordashov’s past ambitions to be the world’s largest steelmaker, with safe-haven production lines in the United States. What has already happened to other Russian oligarchs has arrived for Mordashov: caught in the ring with his bankers, […]

by John Helmer - Tuesday, May 19th, 2009
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By John Helmer in Moscow A meeting of Alrosa management board, followed by the board of directors, last week decided to modify earlier estimates of this year’s mine production plan, but slashed this year’s target profit figure. This is the first official indication of how effective the state purchasing scheme for Alrosa diamonds is proving […]

by John Helmer - Tuesday, May 19th, 2009
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By John Helmer in Moscow The Russian Grain Union has accused the Egyptian government of a legal manoeuvre with an arriving wheat shipment, in order to force a cut in Russian export prices. Alexander Korbut, vice-president of the producers’ union, told Fairplay a 52,000-tonne shipment of medium-quality wheat has been arrested at the Red Sea […]

by John Helmer - Sunday, May 17th, 2009
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By John Helmer in Moscow Russia’s second oil producer, LUKoil, has successfully moored the first of its new oil production platforms in the Russian sector of the Caspian Sea. The company issued an announcement last Friday. The ice-resistant platform is a production unit of the Yury Korchagin oilfield, which is located at sea, 180 kilometres […]

by John Helmer - Sunday, May 17th, 2009
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By John Helmer The world of manganese mining is so small, concentrated, and dependent on China, as both producer and consumer, that if there are shenanigans, the reputation of the trade can be swiftly and seriously threatened, especially in China. For the biggest of the producers, the Australians and South Africans, manganese is a sideline. […]

by John Helmer - Sunday, May 17th, 2009
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