AAL SHIPPING has taken delivery of AAL Antwerp, the fourth vessel in what it calls its ground-breaking eight-strong, third-generation Super B-Class fleet.
The 32,000 DWT methanol-ready, multipurpose heavylift vessel was officially named on Friday (15 November) at the CSSC Huangpu-Wenchong Shipyard in Guangzhou, China in the presence of invited dignitaries from across the local MPP supply chain.
Capable of transporting over 90,000 freight tons of cargo and boasting a combined lifting capacity of 700 tonnes, the vessel is engineered to accommodate an extensive range of cargo types, from heavy lift project equipment to breakbulk and dry bulk all at the same time, AAL says.
Following its formal debut, AAL Antwerp will immediately embark on its maiden voyage, joining sisterships AAL Limassol, AAL Hamburg and AAL Houston (named 12 September) in servicing project cargo customers between Asia, Europe, Middle East and the Americas.
Frank Mueller, GM Oceania said with so many unknowns surrounding the global shipping sector moving into 2025 – when AAL will celebrate 30 years in business – this milestone “illustrates AAL’s own clear mission to provide our multipurpose cargo customers with unmatched sailings integrity, adaptability, and competitive solutions.
“The building and employment of one of the project sector’s largest and youngest fleets does not represent the full extent of our investment in developing our service offering. We have active training programmes to nurture the skills of our teams at every level and provide them with state-of-the-art systems and process – all of this within a framework of sustainability and good governance.”
The remaining vessels in the Super B-Class series will be delivered between now and 2026, including AAL Newcastle and AAL Mumbai which will have an increased maximum heavy lift capability of 800 tonnes.
Late last month AAL Shipping was awarded ‘Ship Operator of the Year’ for the third year running at the Heavy Lift Awards 2024, organised by Heavy Lift & Project Forwarding International, which took place at the Royal Lancaster Hotel in London.
