Media ININ Economy We Trust
Media IN DUBAI, 24th June, 2019 (WAM)
Emirates Global Aluminium, the largest industrial company in the United Arab Emirates outside oil and gas, today announced the arrival of the first fully-laden Capesize vessel to call at any GCC port at its quay at Khalifa Port in Abu Dhabi, inaugurating the import of bauxite for EGA’s new Al Taweelah alumina refinery using these huge bulk cargo vessels.
EGA imports bauxite ore from the Republic of Guinea to supply Al Taweelah alumina refinery, and using Capesize vessels reduces shipping costs per tonne.
Abu Dhabi Ports has modified the approaches to Khalifa Port to accommodate Capesize vessels bound for EGA, making it the first port in the Gulf able to accommodate these fully-loaded ships. The approaches have been deepened from 16.5 metres to 18.5 metres draft and widened from 250 metres to 280 metres.
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. EGA’s Al Taweelah alumina refinery is the first in the UAE and only the second in the Middle East.
The plant converts bauxite ore into alumina, the feedstock for aluminium smelters, and is expected to meet 40 per cent of EGA’s alumina needs once fully ramped-up. EGA invested some $3.3 billion to build Al Taweelah alumina refinery, which began production in April.
Capesize vessels are too large to transit the Panama Canal and must round the southernmost point of mainland South America (Cape Horn) to transit between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Historically they were also too large to transit the Suez Canal.
