The US Department of Commerce (DOC) has announced the preliminary results of the 19th administrative review of the anti-dumping duty order on frozen warmwater shrimp imported from Vietnam, covering the period from February 1, 2023 to January 31, 2024, the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP) said in a press release.
According to the announcement, the DOC determined that Thong Thuan Company (including Thong Thuan Cam Ranh) did not sell shrimp at less than fair value, assigning it a zero dumping margin. In contrast, Stapimex was preliminarily assigned a significantly high dumping rate of 35.29 per cent.
VASEP said this rate was also applied to 22 other companies eligible for separate rate status but not selected as mandatory respondents, instead of the usual weighted average of the two mandatory respondents.
VASEP said it and the concerned enterprises were both, “surprised and deeply concerned about this unusually high preliminary rate.”
The association said that, in the 19 years that Vietnam has participated in the administrative reviews of the anti-dumping case, no company has ever been subjected to a double-digit preliminary duty.
VASEP said this situation brings back memories of the 12th review, in which the DOC initially assigned a 25.76 per cent rate to Vietnamese shrimp exporter Fimex due to calculation errors, which was later corrected to 4.58 per cent in the final result.
Therefore, VASEP and the companies strongly believe that there may have been errors or misunderstandings in the current preliminary results.
VASEP said stapimex had thoroughly prepared and had strong confidence in its accounting records to secure the lowest possible rate. However, VASEP and the companies believe that, “mistakes on either side may have led to data discrepancies, resulting in a preliminary rate that is unreasonably high.”
VASEP said Stapimex will promptly provide additional information, and the association believes that the final result, “will accurately reflect the reality of Vietnamese shrimp exports—namely, that they are not dumped into the US market.”
The association remarked that although the preliminary results are not immediately effective and may be revised in the final determination (expected in December 2025), the announcement, “has already had a negative psychological impact on US importers, disrupted purchasing and export plans, and, more alarmingly, affected the confidence and operations of shrimp farmers in Vietnam.”
VASEP said it is urgently calling on the DOC to review and reconsider its preliminary calculations to ensure objectivity, fairness, and consistency with past reviews, thereby safeguarding the legitimate interests of Vietnamese enterprises and preserving stability in seafood trade between the two countries.