Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA) said its Al Taweelah smelter "sustained significant damage" during an Iranian missile and drone attack on the Khalifa Economic Zone Abu Dhabi on Saturday, with several employees injured.
Al Taweelah produced 1.6mn t of cast metal in 2025, according to the company, and had substantial metal stocks on the water when the US-Israeli attacks on Iran began, as well as stockpiles in some overseas locations.
EGA is a major bauxite importer, bringing in 11.15mn t in 2025 and 10.65mn t in 2024, according to Kpler data, and is a significant Capesize charterer.
Until mid-2025, the company relied heavily on Guinean bauxite, operating a mine in that country. But in May 2025, Guinea's military government rescinded several mining licences — including EGA's — following a dispute over delays in construction of an alumina refinery required under the firm's mining agreement.
Since then, EGA has turned to other suppliers, mainly Australia and Ghana. Al Taweelah's bauxite imports from Australia surged to 4.65mn t in 2025 from 750,000t in 2024, according to Kpler.
Since the war began, EGA has tried to maintain Australian bauxite inflows to Al Taweelah via Fujairah.In mid March, the company was seeking a Capesize or Baby Cape vessel for a Gove–Fujairah shipment for 1–5 April, with onward land transport to Al Taweelah's alumina refinery, according to market participants. The cargo also carried an option to discharge in Kandla, India — likely due to increased risks in Fujairah waters amid the war. There is no new information about the fixture for this cargo.
Some vessels destined for Al Taweelah are currently stuck because of the de-facto closure of the strait of Hormuz. The Baby Cape Amarantos, which loaded in Takoradi, Ghana, on 20 February, has been idling between Mozambique and Madagascar since 18 March, Kpler data show.
The damage at Al Taweelah may weigh on freight rates, while pushing aluminium prices higher. But demand for aluminium is deteriorating as well, and war-fueled gains in London Metal Exchange (LME) aluminium prices have largely evaporated after hitting a multi-year peak on 12 March, as an unclear outlook for global demand clashes with supply shocks and technical trading impacts.
Iranian steelmakers Khouzestan Steel (KhSC) and Mobarakeh Steel were hit by air strikes attributed to the US and Israel on Friday, which damaged storage facilities and power infrastructure, officials said. Iran was preparing retaliatory strikes on Gulf steel producers, according to Iran's Tasnim news agency, which is linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
