Sources revealed on Wednesday that Swiss commodities trader Mercuria is shipping over 30,000 tons of aluminum from LME-certified Port Klang in Malaysia to New Orleans, USA, to meet demand from its North American customers. The shipping schedule shows the vessel "Astro Denebola" departed on October 24 and is expected to arrive on December 9, with a cargo value of approximately $68 million. Sources said the metal primarily originates from Indian production, but also includes some Russian aluminum. According to LME data, as of October 29, aluminum inventories at Port Klang fell to 268,325 tons, a 22% decrease from September. Mercuria began taking delivery from its warehouses in mid-September, and this shipment is seen as a strategic step to expand its industrial metals business and reduce its reliance on the energy sector. Sources noted that Mercuria has held over 90% of LME aluminum warrants since May, continuously pushing the near-month contract premium over the far-month contract to $56 per tonne, a 14-month peak. According to institutional estimates, if all December arrivals go into LME registered warehouses, the premium for the US Midwest may fall from the current 22.5 cents/lb to below 20 cents; however, if the goods are picked up directly by end-users, the risk of a short squeeze in near-month contracts will continue into January next year. Sources added that Mercuria still holds approximately 70,000 tons of inventory at Port Klang.