EGA marks 100th shipload of bauxite from Guinea

DUBAI: Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA), the largest industrial company in the United Arab Emirates outside oil and gas, on Monday marked the 100th shipload of bauxite exported from the Republic of Guinea since the start-up of its wholly owned bauxite-mining subsidiary Guinea Alumina Corporation in August 2019.

EGA uses Capesize vessels to transport much of its bauxite ore. Capesize vessels are up to 300 metres long – more than the length of two football fields – and 50 metres wide. They can carry around 180,000 tonnes of bauxite ore.

In total EGA has exported over 16.4 million dry metric tonnes tonnes of bauxite from Guinea so far, which would be enough to fill Wembley Stadium in London more than nine times.

Bauxite is the ore from which aluminium is derived. The aluminium content of all the GAC bauxite exported so far would be enough to make over three million tonnes of metal, enough to build over 9,000 A380 airliners.

EGA mainly ships bauxite to customers in China and India, but some GAC bauxite is brought to the UAE as feedstock for EGA’S Al Taweelah alumina refinery in Abu Dhabi.

In 2020, GAC’S first full year of production, EGA was the second-biggest third party seller of bauxite in the world.

EGA’S Chief Executive Officer, Abdulnasser Bin Kalban, said: “In less than two years since the start-up of GAC, we have established EGA as an important player in the global seaborne merchant bauxite market. I commend the GAC team for reaching the milestone of 100 ships sailed.