The first shipment of bauxite produced at Chinalco's Boffa project in Guinea berths at Rizhao Port in Shandong province on Feb 26. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The first shipment of bauxite produced at Chinalco's integrated bauxite-alumina project in Boffa in the northwestern corridor of Guinea, a West African nation, arrived at Rizhao Port in Shandong province on Feb 26.

Chinalco, or Aluminum Corporation of China, a unit of China's biggest state-run aluminum firm, signed a 15-year mining agreement with Guinea in 2018 to build its bauxite-alumina project in Boffa.

Local authorities said that the first shipment of bauxite was a significant milestone for Chinalco's Boffa project.

Rizhao Port signed a strategic cooperation agreement with Chinalco Logistics Group, the supply chain operator of Chinalco, in June last year to provide port operation and management services for Chinalco's Boffa project.

The first ship carrying bauxite from Chinalco's Boffa project is unloaded at Rizhao Port on Feb 26. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Guinea has some the largest bauxite reserves in the world, and Chinalco's Boffa project will ensure a stable and continuous supply of bauxite to China, with initial production capacity estimated at 12 million tons per year, according to industry insiders.

Chinalco's Boffa project began operating on Dec 15, 2019. The first ship carrying 55,000 tons of bauxite left Guinea on Jan 6. After sailing more than 20,000 nautical miles over a course of 40 days and passing through three oceans and two continents, the cargo ship finally arrived at Rizhao Port.

Rizhao Port, a subsidiary of Shandong Port Group, will provide low-cost, efficient bauxite logistics services to Chinalco's aluminum plants in Henan and Shanxi provinces, said a worker at Rizhao Port.

The bauxite will be delivered to Chinalco's aluminum plants in Henan and Shanxi provinces. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]