Adds U.S. import data, UAE flows

May 5 (Reuters) - Indonesia's aluminium exports in March more than doubled from the previous month to their highest since November 2023 and included a rare cargo to the United States, data from the Indonesian statistics agency and export-import data aggregator Trade Data Monitor shows.

The Southeast Asian country shipped a total of 88,554 metric tons of unwrought aluminium in March, up from 33,490 tons in February. It is expected to ramp up production significantly this year at a time when the aluminium market is reeling from shortages caused by the war in the Middle East.

• March saw the first aluminium exports from Weda Bay on the Indonesian island of Halmahera, where a smelter jointly owned by Chinese duo Tsingshan Holding Group and Xinfa Group recently began production.

• Weda Bay sent out three cargoes: 18,500 tons to the U.S., which usually relies heavily on imports from the Gulf; 10,000 tons to China; and 8,000 tons to South Korea, according to data from Statistics Indonesia released on Monday.

• Indonesia also exported 6,000 tons of aluminium to Italy in March, while the EU imported 1,860 tons of aluminium from Indonesia in February, according to the latest data for the bloc that does not include imports from Greece.

• U.S. aluminium imports in March rose to a one-year high of 397,159 tons, official data showed on Tuesday, with arrivals from the United Arab Emirates tripling from February to 114,328 tons and potentially cushioning shortages.

• UAE producer Emirates Global Aluminium, whose Al Taweelah smelter was shut down after an Iranian attack in late March, has said it had "substantial metal stock on the water" when the conflict began at the end of February.