Cooperative efforts between the Dubai Customs’ IPR and Intelligence departments led to the successful identification and seizing of 58 counterfeit Vallourec oil and gas pipes before they enter the UAE market.
According to information released by Dubai Customs, a tip-off received by the IPR Department pointed to four specific vessel containers from an Asian country carried the counterfeit items. These suspicions were confirmed upon completion of a technical inspection revealing non-conformity with specification and quality requirements, counterfeit trademarks branded on the steel pipes, and forged quality certificates.
“Counterfeiting has a damaging effect on business, the economy and the general population, and when it comes to oil and gas pipes, it can wreak havoc on the environment as well,” said Yousef Ozair Mubarak, Director of IPR Department.
“As soon as we received information about this shipment of fake pipes, we moved swiftly to seize and recycle the contraband to prevent any potential damage to the environment. This is our commitment towards manufacturers and rights-holders in order to provide them the best possible investment conditions in support of sustainable economic development.”
Vallourec is a French manufacturing company offering a wide range of steel VAM® premium connections for Oil & Gas well equipment such as casing, tubing and accessories. These items are designed to withstand high temperatures and pressures to better support the petroleum industry. Compromising the quality of steel for these items, risks in worker safety and the petroleum industry are increased.
“Our control room spots and tracks any high-risk consignments of smuggled goods before their arrival to Dubai using the Smart Vessel Tracking System, which Dubai Customs developed for the purpose,” commented, Shuaib Al Suwaidi, Director of Customs Intelligence Department. “We were alerted by the IPR Department and acted accordingly to track down the suspected shipment and eventually intercepted a significant haul of illicit counterfeit steel pipes.”