Rio Tinto revises Q2 Japan aluminium premium offer higher, sources say

TOKYO, March 11 (Reuters) - Rio Tinto RIO.L, RIO.AX offered Japanese buyers a revised premium offer of $350 per metric ton for April-June primary metal shipments, up 79% from the current quarter and 40% from its previous offer, two sources involved the quarterly talks said on Wednesday.

Japan is a major Asian importer of the metal and the premiums for primary metal shipments it agrees to pay each quarter over the London Metal Exchange (LME) cash price CMAL0 set the benchmark for the region.

Earlier this month, global aluminium producers pulled initial premium offers, or let them expire, as they gauged the threat from the escalating Middle East war to cargoes through the Strait of Hormuz.

Rio Tinto declined to comment.