Venezuela sends first aluminum shipment to U.S. in eight years

The United States has received its first shipment of primary aluminum from Venezuela in eight years. Approximately 15,000 metric tons of the metal, produced by the state-owned CVG Venalum in Bolívar state, arrived at the port of Avondale in New Orleans on October 5.

U.S. Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum confirmed the arrival, noting the metal's essential role in various domestic sectors, including the automotive, aerospace, telecommunications, and electrical infrastructure industries. Burgum emphasized the ubiquity of aluminum in daily life, citing its use in vehicles, electronics, and power transmission lines.

The transaction involved Mercuria Energy Group and Heeney Capital in the commercialization and transport of the metal. Heeney Capital indicated that this shipment is part of an initiative to expand raw material supplies for U.S. industry and suggested that further shipments from Venezuela may follow.