Alba and KCC announce a new four-year contract of affreightment
Image: MV Bangus
Oslo, 28 September 2022: Aluminium Bahrain B.S.C. (Alba), and KCC Chartering AS, a subsidiary of Klaveness Combination Carriers ASA (“KCC”), announce a four-year contract of affreightment (“COA”) for shipments of alumina from Australia to Bahrain starting 2022. The COA, covering a major share of Alba’s alumina imports, continues the long-standing and close co-operation between Alba and KCC.
KCC’s CEO Engebret Dahm commented: “we have enjoyed a strong business relationship with Alba on a continuous basis for more than thirty years and are proud to continue serving Alba with both our CABU and CLEANBU vessels for another four years period running up to the end of 2025.”
Alba’s CEO, Mr. Ali Al Baqali adds: “Keeping together is progress and working together is success. We are delighted to have renewed our partnership with KCC for additional 4 years. This speaks volume of the strong ties which both of us have developed over the last 3 decades.”
About Klaveness Combination Carriers ASA
KCC is the world leader in combination carriers, owning and operating eight CABU and eight CLEANBU combination carriers. KCC’s combination carriers are built for transportation of both wet and dry bulk cargoes, being operated in trades where the vessels efficiently combine dry and wet cargoes with minimum ballast. Through their high utilization and efficiency, the vessels emit up to 40% less CO2 per transported ton compared to standard tanker and dry bulk vessels in current and targeted combination trading patterns.
About Aluminium Bahrain B.S.C. (Alba)
Starting as a 120,000 tonnes per annum smelter in 1971, Alba, today, is the world’s largest aluminium smelter ex-China with a production of more than 1.561 million metric tonnes per annum (2021). Its diverse product portfolio of Standard and Value-Added Products (VAP)s are exported to more than 240 global customers through its sales offices in Europe (Zurich), Asia (Hong Kong & Singapore) and subsidiary office in the U.S. Alba is dual listed on Bahrain Bourse and London Stock Exchange and its shareholders are Bahrain Mumtalakat Holding Company B.S.C. © (69.38%), SABIC Industrial Investments Company (SIIC) (20.62%) and General Public (10%).
Over the last five decades, Alba has been a major contributor to the social, industrial, and economic development of the Kingdom of Bahrain. The Company is at the heart of a thriving Bahrain’s aluminium sector, which accounts for approximately 12% of the country's GDP. Renowned for being an employer of choice, Alba is a model in Employee Training and Development and employs over 3,100 people across its operations (2021), of which 84% are Bahraini nationals. It is noteworthy that in 2021, Alba achieved more than 581,000 training- hours despite the challenges of COVID-19.
Alba is recognised as one of the top industrial companies in the world with high standards in Environment practices, Social contribution and Corporate Governance. Over 50 years, the Company has invested into projects that had a positive impact on the society in which it operates. More recently, Alba’s US$37.5 million zero-waste Spent Pot Lining Treatment Plant, the upcoming 5-plus MW Solar Farm Project and strategic role in the future Aluminium Downstream Park are a testimony of Alba’s Sustainability Roadmap that will meet the goals of Bahrain’s Economic Vision 2030 as well as the Net Zero Carbon targets led by HRH the Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Bahrain in COP26 summit. In addition, globally-recognised certifications such as ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 27001, ISO 45001, IATF 16949:2016 and ASI Performance Standard Certification and Ecovadis attest to Alba’s actions to produce aluminium responsibly and sustainably.
Safety of its employees and contractors’ workforce remains Alba’s top priority. Over the years, the Company has maintained an excellent track record in Safety and Health for which it has won prestigious international awards such as the RoSPA Award 2021 (8 years in a row) and International Safety Award with Merit from British Safety Council in 2020. Alba stayed strong on its journey of Safety Excellence by topping more than 20 million safe working-hours without any Lost Time Injury (LTI) by end of 2021.
Alba has also been recognised internationally for its strong values and operating excellence, with the most recent ones being top ESG performer in Bahrain by ESG Invest; Safeguard Label from Bureau Veritas; and Best Corporate Governance Award by Ethical Boardroom. For more information on Alba, please visit www.albasmelter.com
