EGA Marks Milestone with First LNG-Fired Bauxite Shipment to China
Emirates Global Aluminum (EGA), a leading aluminum producer in the United Arab Emirates, has announced the world's first shipment of bauxite using a liquefied natural gas (LNG)-fired Capesize bulk carrier. The bauxite, mined by an EGA subsidiary in Guinea, West Africa, is being transported on a vessel operated by Anglo American and chartered by EGA to a customer in China.
EGA typically uses Capesize bulk carriers to transport bauxite, the primary raw material for aluminum production, from Guinea to its refinery in Abu Dhabi, UAE, and to customers worldwide. In 2022 alone, Guinea exported approximately 14.1 million tons of bauxite.
The recent shipment marks the first time EGA has chartered the 187,000 DWT Ubuntu Harmony, one of ten LNG-fueled Capesize vessels maintained by Anglo American, for this purpose. This initiative underscores EGA's commitment to sustainability, as the company aims to achieve net zero emissions by 2050, including within its supply chain.
EGA's CEO, Abdulnasser bin Calvin, expressed pride in the company's pioneering use of LNG fuel for bauxite transportation, stating that this move aligns with EGA's broader environmental goals. The company is a participant in the Sea Cargo Charter, an international framework for measuring and assessing greenhouse gas emissions from marine transportation.
Additionally, EGA's partner, Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, has agreed to promote joint research on greenhouse gas reduction in marine transportation. The partnership aims to explore various decarbonization strategies, including the use of alternative fuels, to meet the shared objective of achieving net zero emissions by 2050.
