Global seaborne bauxite shipments climbed 9.5% year on year to a record 160.5m tonnes in the first seven months of 2026, driven by rising cargo volumes from Guinea to China, according to Greek broker URSA Shipbrokers.
July loadings reached 22.8m tonnes, up 20.9% from the same month in 2025, adding to demand for large dry bulk carriers on the long-haul Guinea-China route.
URSA estimates that seaborne bauxite shipments hit a record 246.6m tonnes in 2025, an increase of nearly 42m tonnes, or 21%, from the previous year. The trade has more than tripled from about 78.5m tonnes in 2016.
Guinea exported a record 114.8m tonnes of bauxite in the first half of 2026, up 15% from 99.8m tonnes a year earlier. Its exports reached 182.8m tonnes in 2025, a rise of 25%, with China taking a record 74% of the total. Bauxite is refined into alumina before being processed into aluminium.
China’s bauxite imports increased 26.4% to 200.5m tonnes last year. Guinea has overtaken Australia as the world’s largest bauxite exporter and accounts for about 70% of global seaborne exports.
URSA Shipbrokers is a privately owned Greek shipbroking company headquartered in Piraeus. Its dry cargo chartering operation was established as Ursachart in 1993. The company also provides sale-and-purchase, research and consultancy services through offices in Piraeus and Shanghai.