The first shipment of alumina from the plant in Nain, St. Elizabeth, since the Chinese acquisition, will leave the island tomorrow (Dec 29).

This is the first time in nine years that alumina is being shipped from the processing plant.

A ceremony to mark the occasion will be held tomorrow morning, at Port Kaiser in Alligator Pond, with Mining Minister Mike Henry, and Managing Director of Jisco / Alpart, Jun  Zhang.

The mining ministry says the bauxite ship, Wuchow, arrived at Port Kaiser yesterday, to collect over 35,000 tons of alumina.

It says the bauxite alumina industry is on the rebound in Jamaica.

The ministry says the investment of over US $3 b into the sector by Jisco over the next 5 years will result in the provision of thousands of new jobs.

The investment will also facilitate a diversification of activities in the sector, to include the manufacturing of products from aluminium and the development of an industrial park.