Metro Mining’s 2025 record has fetched improved figures in bauxite shipping activity, 5.69 million wet metric tonnes (WMT) of bauxite from the Bauxite Hills Operation in northern Queensland from January to November. Ranging from month-on-month (M-o-M) to year-on-year (Y-o-Y) comparison between the results of 2025 has shown a better performance, overcoming transhipping challenges and utilising the shipping modifications.
Image for representational purpose only (source: https://www.alcircle.com/)
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November 2025 saw a shipment of 783 thousand WMT, despite challenging situations in the month. The shipments were carried out in 28 working days. 2 days were lost due to tropical cyclone Fina, resulting in unsafe transhipping conditions. Additionally, one more day was lost to the maintenance activities.
Nonetheless, turnaround was achieved with a capesize vessel loading record of 178,000 WMT loaded within 5.6 days onto the Zhi NV Star.
In October 2025, 753 thousand WMT of bauxite was shipped. A M-o-M comparison between October and November 2025 shows a 5.6 per cent increase in November as 30 thousand more WMT were shipped in that month. There were various constraints in October, such as shipments that occurred over 26 weather working days and 5 days dedicated to planned and unplanned maintenance due to the failure of the barge loading facility.
Comparatively, the November shipment produced a better result with the effective utilisation of the capesize vessel.
In November 2024, Metro Mining shipped 782,672 WMT bauxite, with a modest decline of 1 per cent compared to the October 2024 shipment of 793,420 WMT. The number went down because of the generator failure at the site, ruptured belt at Ikamba and a time span dedicated to planned maintenance.
The November 2025 shipment compared to the same period last year (November 2024) shows that both months have produced a similar shipment of approximately 780 thousand WMT. However, while the November 2024 shipment had gone down 1 per cent from that of October 2024, the November 2025 shipment achieved a 5.6 per cent increase than October 2025.
Year-on-Year comparison
From January to November 2024, 5.22 million WMT of bauxite were shipped. With a Y-o-Y comparison between 2024 and 2025, it is observed that the January to November span of 2025 has produced a rise in the shipment graph, with 5.69 million WMT of bauxite shipped in 2025. Hence, there has been a significant increase of 8.93 per cent from the 2024 to 2025 bauxite shipment.
2025 has seen several improvements that have led to the rise in its shipments. After a first trial capesize cargo in 2024, an offtake contract for a new multi-cargo for 2025 was agreed with Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA), shipping to its high temperature alumina refinery in Abu Dhabi. Moreover, expansion of Bauxite Hills, a record first half shipments of 1.9 million WMT as well as improvements implemented in barge loading throughput and tug and barge cycle are the significant factors to have contributed to the better outcome in the 2025 bauxite shipping activity.
Overall, it is observed that the growth of bauxite shipment of Metro Mining in November 2025 vis-à-vis October 2025, and November 2025 vis-à-vis November 2024 is commensurate with the 11-month total of 2025 (January to November) vis-à-vis 2024 (January to November) – all the instances showing a steady rise in the bauxite shipment cycle.
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