OREANDA-NEWS. OAO TMK (“TMK” or “the Company”), one of the world’s largest oil and gas pipe producers and the market leader of the Russian pipe industry, today announces its production results for the period from 1st  January to 31st March 2007.

In this period TMK shipped [1] 783,800 tonnes of pipes, which is almost a 12% increase on the amount shipped in the same period last year.

Q1 2007 saw shipment volumes increase across all product groups compared to the same period last year. Overall the amount of seamless pipes shipped rose by 12.2% to 533,4 thousand tons from 475.3 thousand tons, within which OCTG grew by 7.2% to 253,6 thousand tons from 236,6 thousand tons.

Overall welded pipe shipments increased by 11.3% up to 250,4 thousand tons from 224,9 thousand tons, within which large diameter pipe shipments increased by 6.3%.

The increase in the shipments of TMK pipe products in Q1 2007 was the result of new production capacity and operational efficiencies coupled with an increase in the demand for pipes in the Russian market.