A company that manufactures steel tubes for the oil and gas drilling industry not only has to contend with slumping energy exploration but competition from bogus versions of their products.

Proof came out of the United Arab Emirates city of Dubai, where customs officials announced the seizure of 58 counterfeit Vallourec oil and gas pipes being shipped into the Middle Eastern country.

Vallourec is headquartered in France, but has plants around the world, including Youngstown.

Dubai customs officials announced on Tuesday that they were tipped off that 4 containers on board a ship coming from an Asian country was carrying 58 counterfeit oil and gas pipes.

The containers that were tracked and seized held seamless pipes that did not conform with quality requirements and standard specifications, according to Dubai’s Intellectual Property Rights Department.

Customs officers said that the trademark on the steel pipes was counterfeited and that the quality certificates presented had been forged.

Counterfeiting the pipes can pose major risks to the petroleum industry and the safety of its workforce, according to customs officials.

“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.