Middle East And Africa

Senior industry leaders set to join inaugural ALUMINIUM Arabia 2026
13 OCT 20263MINS

Senior industry leaders set to join inaugural ALUMINIUM Arabia 2026

ALUMINIUM Arabia 2026 has confirmed a lineup of senior industry leaders and experts for its inaugural edition, taking place at Arena Riyadh on Nov. 11-12. Bringing together more than 30 speakers, the event will provide a platform for industry dialogue on the trends, technologies and opportunities shaping the future of the aluminium sector in Saudi Arabia and the wider region. Confirmed speakers include Ahmed Al Shaikh, chief operating officer of Maaden Aluminium; Khalid AlKhousan, general manager of Metallic Industries Development at the Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources; Abdulaziz Al Ghamdi, general manager, Integrated Solutions at ALUPCO; Fatema Almohri, managing director of Pyrotek Bahrain; and Rana Abdullah Zamai, founder and chairwoman of the Women in Mining Association of...

12 OCT 20264MINS

Bauxite prices at $58.53–75/t: Can VBX’s 131.9Mt resource reshape Australia’s supply outlook?

VBX Limited (ASX: VBX) has reaffirmed the mineral resource and ore reserve estimates bolstering its Wuudagu Bauxite Project in its October 2026 corporate presentation. The company confirmed that the material assumptions and technical parameters supporting the estimates, production targets and related forecast financial information remain unchanged. Wuudagu’s Measured and Indicated (M&I) Mineral Resource stands at 131.9 million tonnes, with a staggering 108 per cent surge from the 2025 drilling programme, while an expanded Definitive Feasibility Study (DFS) is targeted for completion in the first quarter of 2027. 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 &...


Grow with
AL Circle

KNOW MORE

News

US aluminum maker Shapes Unlimited faces up to $5m in extra costs as tariffs and Iran conflict bite
Downstream

US aluminum maker Shapes Unlimited faces up to $5m in extra costs as tariffs and Iran conflict bite

US aluminum product manufacturer Shapes Unlimited faces up to $5 million in additional costs this year as President Donald Trump’s tariffs and rising freight charges linked to the conflict involving Iran add pressure to American manufacturers. The Ohio-based company is among businesses grappling with higher input and transportation costs, while uncertainty over US trade policy and deteriorating relations with Canada complicate planning and expansion. Although some American manufacturers have benefited from higher barriers facing foreign competitors, others are struggling to absorb additional expenses and maintain growth. Doug Rende, chief executive of Shapes Unlimited, told AFP that the combined pressures had become increasingly difficult to manage. “Frustrating would be one word,” Rende...

AL Circle Analysis: From Guinea to Gulf, how bauxite, tariffs and logistics redraw aluminium map
Bauxite

AL Circle Analysis: From Guinea to Gulf, how bauxite, tariffs and logistics redraw aluminium map

Aluminium markets in late 2026 are being shaped by more than the headline LME aluminium price. Bauxite security, alumina availability, geopolitical disruptions, tariff negotiations, logistics diversification and regional premiums are increasingly determining where metal moves and what buyers pay. From RUSAL reassessing Caribbean assets and Vedanta securing Odisha bauxite to Brazil extending mine life and EGA rebuilding its Guinea supply chain, producers are strengthening control over critical raw materials. At the same time, the US remains heavily dependent on imported bauxite and alumina, while Europe and Asia are experiencing sharply different premium dynamics. These developments point to a market where physical availability is becoming a regional factor even as aluminium itself remains...

Hormuz crude flows recover, but aluminium, LNG and fertiliser face a slower return to normal
Primary AL

Hormuz crude flows recover, but aluminium, LNG and fertiliser face a slower return to normal

Middle East crude exports ended September at roughly their pre-conflict levels and exceeded them on several days, according to Reuters. However, the recovery is far less complete for other Gulf commodities. Diesel and gasoline shipments were running at 58 per cent of pre-conflict volumes, while LNG, fertiliser, aluminium and helium were recovering more slowly. The uneven rebound highlights why crude flows alone do not provide a complete picture of trade through the Strait of Hormuz. For commodities with lower margins, limited routing options or specialised infrastructure requirements, the cost of moving cargoes and repairing damaged facilities continues to weigh on supply. Crude can absorb the cost of moving through Hormuz Supertanker rates for voyages from the Middle East to China...

Ma’aden aluminium surge puts growth back in focus as stock trades at $17
Primary AL

Ma’aden aluminium surge puts growth back in focus as stock trades at $17

Ma’aden’s aluminium business delivered strong revenue growth in Q2 2026 as higher realised prices lifted the segment, although weaker phosphate and ammonia guidance creates a mixed operating backdrop. Saudi Arabian Mining Company (Ma’aden) saw aluminium revenue rise 49 per cent year on year to USD 1.01 billion in Q2 2026, with realised aluminium prices increasing 51 per cent to USD 3,915 per tonne. Read more about Maaden aluminium revenue jump in Q2 2026 The stronger aluminium performance provides the clearest quantified growth signal in Ma’aden’s latest operating picture. However, revised production guidance for phosphate and ammonia adds a counterweight as investors assess the company’s broader portfolio. Higher aluminium prices drive revenue growth The aluminium division produced...

Bauxite transport and traceability: Why tracking the cargo back to the mine is difficult
Bauxite

Bauxite transport and traceability: Why tracking the cargo back to the mine is difficult

Bauxite is the starting material for alumina refining and primary aluminium production, but its route from mine to refinery is rarely as simple as a labelled shipment moving from one country to another. Unlike fabricated metal products, bauxite is usually traded as a loose bulk mineral. It is loaded into stockpiles, trucks, rail wagons, barges and bulk carriers, often passing through multiple handling points before reaching an alumina refinery. This logistics model keeps transport costs low for a high-volume commodity, but it also makes mine-level origin difficult to establish. The key question for traders, refiners and downstream buyers is therefore not only about where a cargo was loaded but where the ore was actually mined and whether that origin can be traced and documented along the...

Gulf production recovery falters, China steps up as OCBC raises aluminium forecast to $3,150
Primary AL

Gulf production recovery falters, China steps up as OCBC raises aluminium forecast to $3,150

OCBC has raised its end-2026 aluminium price forecast to about USD 3,150 per tonne from USD 3,050, citing a slower-than-expected recovery in Gulf production, although strong Chinese output is expected to continue offsetting supply disruptions. Three-month aluminium on the London Metal Exchange (LME) fell 0.9 per cent month-on-month in September to USD 3,214 per tonne as of September 29, remaining 2 per cent above OCBC’s third-quarter forecast of USD 3,150. The cash-to-three-month spread was broadly unchanged at a USD 7.40-per-tonne contango, compared with USD 7.60 at the end of August. The spread suggests limited urgency for immediate metal supply despite a continued decline in global exchange inventories. Gulf aluminium recovery loses momentum OCBC said aluminium production across the...

E-magazines

VIEW ALL