Guyana’s bauxite exports to decline in H2 2018 on US sanctions against Rusal

Guyana, one of the world’s leading bauxite producers, has delivered about 1.45 million tonnes of bauxite to the global market in 2017. The country’s bauxite shipments increased 36 per cent year-on-year last year. Guyana’s main exports are: sugar, gold, bauxite, aluminium, rice, shrimp and timber among others.

Ukraine and the USA were the top importers of bauxite from Guyana in 2017. Guyana exported about 947830 tonnes and 200467 tonnes of bauxite to Ukraine and the USA respectively. Other importers in 2017 were Canada, Irelands, Netherlands and Italy.

As per global export-import data, Guyana is estimated to export 672208 tonnes of bauxite in the half of 2018, up from 662461 tonnes of bauxite in the same period previous year. The volume is projected to decline to 727117 tonnes in the second half of the year, from 796758 tonnes in the corresponding period previous year.

The country’s export of bauxite is expected to decrease in 2018. In April, German-headquartered bauxite transshipment company Oldendorff Carriers decided to shut the operations at Guyana as a consequence of US sanctions against Russian aluminium company Rusal, according to a report.  According to, Tradewindsnews report,  Oldendorff told the publication “it will fully comply with US sanctions and therefore will be winding up its business in Guyana in a timely manner.”

The country is estimated to generate revenue of US$ 280 million from the export of bauxite in H1 2018, up from US$ 69 million in H1 2017.  In H2 2018, the revenue is estimated to stand at US$ 478 million, up from US$ 73 million in the corresponding period previous year.