Main sea freight index at Baltic Exchange rises to above 600 points mark

On March 29, the UAE’s EGA aluminum plant was hit by Iranian missiles and drones, causing severe damage to its facilities. A damage assessment has been launched, and widespread production cuts were expected, involving total capacity of about 1.55 million mt. Combined with the production cut process initiated earlier this month by Alba and Qatalum, the total scale of production cuts at the three aluminum plants was about 2.43 million mt.

[SMM Analysis]Aluminum Processing PMI Rebounded Sharply to 66 in March, Expected to Pull Back in April

The Swedish deposit return system (DRS) operator Returpack/Pantamera reported that in 2025, over 3 billion PET bottles and aluminium cans were returned via Sweden’s DRS. Compared to the record of 2024, the 2025 count marks an increase of 130 million. The operator adds that returning the aluminium and PET containers via the deposit system cuts the carbon footprint by half, thereby promoting recycling and sustainability. 2025 data shows that material customers received 27,826 tonnes of aluminium and 24,835 tonnes of PET. On average, each person returned 283 containers, reflecting an improvement of the 2024 performance by 4 per cent. The overall return rate of Sweden also increased by 88.4 per cent, bringing the nation close to its target of a 90 per cent return rate.