Bering Yachts has presented the first hull of its BC60 aluminium explorer catamaran, marking the shipyard’s move to a twin-hull platform while retaining the long-range capability and structural robustness associated with its established explorer vessels. The 18.9-metre vessel has already been delivered and is afloat, with founder and CEO Alexei Mikhailov providing a detailed walkthrough of its design and onboard systems. Measuring 18.9 metres (60 feet) in length overall, with an 8.6-metre beam, the BC60 is designed as a displacement explorer rather than a high-speed production catamaran. Its all-aluminium construction, shallow draft and substantial fuel capacity are intended to support extended passages and greater autonomy at sea. The vessel has a draft of 1.58 metres and carries more...
In the first half (H1) of 2026, the US imported a total of 1.68 million metric tons of unwrought aluminum (HSN code: 7601), of which 16.96% was sourced from the United Arab Emirates (UAE). How has H1 2026 fared for the momentum of unwrought aluminum exports from the UAE to the US? Year-on-year cooling in trade can be noticed, largely owing to the temporary shutdown of the Emirates Global Aluminium’s (EGA’s) Al Taweelah smelter for repair and maintenance. Explore the production, demand and consumption forecasts of bauxite and alumina in our report: “ Global Bauxite & Alumina Market Forecast to 2036: Supply–Demand, Trade Flows & Price Outlook ” H1 aluminum trade snapshot: 2026 vs 2025 vs 2024 Comparing the H1 2026 figures of unwrought aluminum exported by the UAE to the US, a mixed result...
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Detroit automakers are preparing to argue to the Trump administration that proposed changes to the North American trade deal could add billions of dollars in annual costs and weaken their competitiveness against foreign rivals. US car companies are already absorbing tariffs on steel, aluminium, vehicle parts and vehicles imported from Mexico and Canada. Executives now fear that Washington’s proposals for the revised trade agreement could increase those costs further ahead of talks with Mexican officials next month. One of the most contentious proposals would require vehicles to contain at least 50 per cent US-made content to qualify for lower tariffs. Washington is also considering raising the overall North American vehicle-content requirement from the current 75 per cent level. Estimates...
Australian bauxite exploration and mining company Metro Mining shipped 700,000 wet metric tonnes (WMT) of bauxite from its Bauxite Hills Mine in Queensland in July 2026. Year-to-date waste stripping reached 1 million bank cubic metres (BCM), up 140 per cent year-on-year. The announcement, released in Metro Mining’s operational update, was approved by CEO and Managing Director, Simon Wensley. Metro Mining's July shipment volume stood at 700,000 WMT, despite a temporary interruption at its offshore floating terminal (OFT) Ikamba. Compared with the June shipment volume of 779,000 tonnes , the July shipment volume records a 10.14 per cent month-on-month dip. As regards the annual comparison with the same period of the previous year, the July 2025 shipments amounted to 714,000 WMT, indicating...
Authorities in Matanzas, Cuba, reportedly stopped two individuals from stealing eight aluminium tubes from the railing of the Matanzas Viaduct. The incident occurred on Wednesday, August 12, in the La Playa area. Police reportedly caught the suspects while they were removing the tubes from the bridge structure, preventing the theft and further damage to the railing. Officials did not disclose the individuals’ identities or specify whether they were formally detained. Authorities said they would face the appropriate legal proceedings. Part of wider infrastructure theft The attempted theft is the latest reported incident involving public infrastructure in Matanzas. Days earlier, an entire section of metal railing disappeared from another bridge in the city. The affected structure was not...
The US' push to rebuild its domestic aluminium industry has been underway for years, with tariffs playing a central role in the strategy. But as Washington tries to attract new smelting investment, opposition to a major proposed project in Oklahoma is raising questions about how easily the country can expand its aluminium capacity. The Section 232 tariffs, introduced in March 2018, were aimed at reducing US dependence on imported aluminium, which the government viewed as a national security risk. The policy also sought to revive idle smelters, attract new investment and strengthen the domestic supply chain. The policy was tightened in 2025, when the US raised aluminium tariffs to 50 per cent for imports from most countries, giving greater protection to domestic producers. To know the...
Australia-based ABx Group is advancing its Sunrise bauxite project in Queensland towards a key environmental approvals milestone targeted for 2027, as development partner Good Importing International (GII) shifts its capital and management focus towards the project. The move strengthens the development pathway for the Binjour bauxite mine and associated Bundaberg port operations, with the project holding a JORC-compliant resource of 37 million tonnes of gibbsite-type metallurgical bauxite. To know the production, demand and consumption forecasts of bauxite and alumina, explore the report “ Global Bauxite & Alumina Market Forecast to 2036: Supply–Demand, Trade Flows & Price Outlook ” ABx’s project vehicle, ABx3, has appointed Onterris Australia to manage the environmental approvals work...
Ghana is looking to Jamaica for a solution to one of the biggest gaps in its aluminium value chain: alumina supply. The two countries are negotiating a proposed USD 60 million arrangement that would see Jamaican bauxite processed at a refinery in Louisiana and the resulting alumina shipped to Ghana for aluminium production. The plan could give Ghana an additional source of alumina as it works to develop an integrated aluminium industry, while giving Jamaica a renewed role in a bauxite-alumina relationship that dates back decades. Jamaican bauxite could be processed in Louisiana Under the proposed arrangement, bauxite from Jamaica would be shipped to the Atlantic Alumina Company (ATALCO) refinery in Gramercy, Louisiana, for processing into alumina. The alumina would then be exported to...
Australia produced about 102.4 million tonnes of bauxite in 2025 and exported 44.23 million tonnes, up from 42.6 million tonnes in 2024, making it the world’s second-largest producer. Yet just as Australia’s role as a seaborne bauxite supplier is becoming more strategically important amid uncertainty over Guinea’s exports, its own supply chain has taken a hit. Record rainfall around Weipa in January-February 2026, followed by Tropical Cyclone Narelle in March, disrupted Rio Tinto’s bauxite operations and shipments. The result was a sharp Q1 production setback and a fresh reminder that Australia’s advantage as a reliable alternative supplier is still exposed to extreme weather. Weipa was hit before Narelle even arrived The disruption did not begin with the cyclone. Rio Tinto reported that...
Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) increased its stake in Kaiser Aluminum by 98.5 per cent during the first quarter, according to its latest Form 13F filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). RBC bought an additional 11,769 shares, taking its total holding to 23,714 shares, worth about USD 2.86 million at the end of the reporting period. Other institutional investors also increased their holdings. Farther Finance Advisors raised its stake by 389.3 per cent in the fourth quarter, while Global Retirement Partners increased its position by 408.3 per cent. Parallel Advisors boosted its holding by 107.2 per cent in the first quarter. KBC Group also acquired a new position, worth around USD 44,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds now own about 99.29 per cent of Kaiser...
Azerbaijan is looking to deepen its aluminium and metallurgical industry through potential cooperation with Chinese companies. Economy Minister Mikayil Jabbarov recently met with Xinjiang Joinworld Co., Ltd. to discuss joint projects, modern technologies, innovative solutions, know-how and the transfer of expertise. The talks are crucial because Azerbaijan already has an established primary aluminium industry. Azeraluminium is Azerbaijan’s primary aluminium producer. It has given the country an existing base to expand into more processed and higher-value products. The latest discussions appear to focus on strengthening these capabilities rather than simply increasing primary aluminium production. For Azerbaijan, moving further into products such as rolled aluminium, sheets, profiles,...
The London Metal Exchange (LME) aluminium price graph has steadily been on the decline since the August 12 session , as Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA) announced the restart of full-scale production at its AL Taweelah facility in the first quarter (Q1) of 2027. As the drop persists on the August 14 trading session, the figures indicate a cooling effect of the EGA update. The LME aluminium cash bid and offer prices contracted by 0.95 per cent day-on-day on August 14. The bid slumped from USD 3,278 per tonne to USD 3,247 per tonne while the offer moved from USD 3,279 per tonne to USD 3,248 per tonne. The cash prices had shot up on the March 30 2026 session , jumping from USD 3,292 per tonne to USD 3,482 per tonne, following the Iranian missile hits sustained by the EGA and Aluminium Bahrain...
Price volatility has emerged as one of the most pressing issues for the global aluminium industry in 2026. India, experiencing the same, is also facing the additional impact of currency movements and rising domestic costs. This is the issue being prominently featured at the three-day conference Global Commodity Conclave 2026, organised by the Multi Commodity Exchange of India (MCX). Among many key insights regarding aluminium price shocks, the most interesting takeaway was the aluminium market’s sensitivity to the surge in crude oil prices and supply disruptions arising from the Middle East conflict. According to S&P Global, the rise in oil prices due to the Middle East conflict has translated into an aluminium price increase. As per the American publicly traded corporation, LME aluminium...
The global aluminium downstream market is being reshaped by three simultaneous forces: rapid extrusion growth in Asia, increasingly defensive trade policies, and rising demand from automotive, renewable energy, packaging and advanced manufacturing . China remains the dominant extrusion powerhouse, but India and Southeast Asia are building their own capacity and demand centres. At the same time, Chinese downstream exports are facing greater scrutiny in Australia and the US, while new applications such as giga-casting and recyclable aluminium packaging are opening fresh demand pools. For traders and investors, the story is increasingly about where aluminium is processed, where it is consumed and how trade barriers are redirecting those flows. Unlock in-depth insights into the extrusion...
The aluminium industry is entering a phase where supply security is being tested across the entire value chain. The latest developments show the pressure beginning with bauxite, moving through logistics and alumina, feeding into aluminium prices and producer earnings, and eventually reshaping international trade. What makes these developments significant is the way they connect. Competition for bauxite is intensifying just as alumina supply is becoming more vulnerable to production and energy disruptions. Producers are benefiting from stronger aluminium prices, but tariffs and changing geopolitical risks are altering where metal flows. Meanwhile, the market is already looking beyond the current tightness towards a potentially more balanced 2027. Bauxite moves from raw material to...
The Philippines’ Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has proposed mandatory certification for selected wrought aluminium and aluminium alloy products manufactured through extrusion or cold-drawn processes. The draft department administrative order would require both local and foreign manufacturers to obtain a Philippine Standard (PS) quality and safety certification mark licence before selling or distributing covered products in the country. The proposal aims to ensure compliance with Philippine National Standards, strengthen product safety and support fair competition. Factory audits required The PS licence would be issued only after a satisfactory factory, plant or site audit and product-conformance testing. Licences would be specific to the manufacturing facility and, where...
The US aluminium industry is showing signs of recovery after years of declining domestic primary production, with tariff support, new investment and the restart of idled capacity creating opportunities across the value chain. Century Aluminum’s Mount Holly smelter in South Carolina has returned to full production after the company restarted more than 50,000 metric tonnes of previously idled capacity. The restart lifted total US primary aluminium output by nearly 10 per cent and brought the plant back to a production level it had not reached since 2015. The revival is also being supported by proposed new projects. Century and Emirates Global Aluminium are advancing plans for a large smelter in Oklahoma, while Magnitude 7 Metals is seeking to partially restart its New Madrid operation in...
STG, a trading company funded by principals of US hedge fund Squarepoint, has bought a substantial volume of aluminium from Radiant World as the commodity trader sells inventory to raise liquidity, according to two industry sources. The exact volume purchased by STG and the price agreed for the transaction were not disclosed. However, sources said STG was acquiring a significant portion of the aluminium offered by Radiant. Radiant World declined to comment on the transaction, saying it does not discuss commercial matters. Squarepoint also declined to comment. Radiant holds up to 50,000 tonnes A source familiar with the matter estimated that Radiant held approximately 40,000–50,000 tonnes of aluminium across multiple locations, including Asia and Europe. The material was reportedly stored...
China’s aluminium export surge in the first half (H1) of 2026, crossing 250,000 tonnes, has come with a surge in its alumina imports as well, feeding the smelting and primary aluminium production. China’s January-June alumina imports marked a drastic year-on-year surge of about 749.4 per cent, indicating a massive boom in demand. Y-o-Y H1 import snapshot: 2026 vs 2025 vs 2024 Comparing China’s January-to-June alumina import figures, a significant development can be noted in the H1 2026 chart. 2026 – 2.28 million tonnes, up 749.4 per cent Y-o-Y from 268,211 tonnes in H1 2025 2025 – 268,211 tonnes, down 77.37 per cent Y-o-Y from 1.19 million tonnes in H1 2024 The figures offset the H1 2025 import decline, partially driven by the steep alumina prices around late 2024 exceeding USD 800 per...
Europe’s aluminium industry produced more metal in the first half of 2026, but the numbers hide a more complicated story. Primary aluminium output rose 4.9 per cent year on year to 3.648 million tonnes, while metallurgical-grade alumina production fell 1.8 per cent to 2.846 million tonnes. At first glance, the numbers may seem contradictory. If aluminium production is rising, why is alumina production falling? The answer lies in what happened during the first quarter. Alumina production was hit by energy and logistics disruptions linked to the Middle East conflict, while aluminium output benefited from smelter restarts. By Q2, however, alumina production had started to recover. Aluminium grows 4.9 per cent while alumina slips 1.8 per cent Europe, including Russia, produced 3.648 million...
