Japanese shipment of rolled titanium products increased by 40.4% to 19,358 tonnes in 2011 from 2010 and hit the secondly record volume, according to Japan Titanium Society. There was large lot export for an offshore desalination plant. The shipment also expanded by around 80% year-on-year for such domestic applications as electrolysis, plate type heat exchanger and wholesalers.
The annual shipment hit 19,727 tonnes in 2008 while the shipment dropped to 11,999 tonnes in 2009 along world economic deterioration after financial crisis. For next two years of 2010 and 2011, the shipment strongly rebounded by 61.3% and almost returned to the level as high as in 2008. In 2011, new export shipment of 3,135 tonnes emerged for a huge seawater desalination plant in the Mid East. Total export jumped by 44% to 13,245 tonnes and exceeded 9,563 tonnes of 2008. Titanium ingot shipment also exceeded 26,999 tonnes of 2008 and reached 30,000 tonnes for the first time in 2011. Trade statistics by Ministry of Finance suggests Japanese export of raw titanium materials, mainly titanium sponge, totaled 25,095 tonnes in 2011 and expanded by 67.6% from the record volume of 2010. The export increased especially in the second half year when sponge consumption largely increased for airplane productions and Japanese sponge makers raised their output capacities. The monthly export hit record 2,174 tonnes in July and kept month-to-month increase for next four months. The export reached 2,527 tonnes in November. By countries, the export for the U.S.A. jumped by 67% to 15,938 tonnes and accounted for 63.5% in the total export. The export for South Korea expanded by 255% to 2,602 tonnes when Korean major steel maker entered titanium rolling business.