THE SECOND of AAL Shipping’s innovative Super B-class heavylift/multi-purpose vessels has been officially named at the CSSC Huangpu-Wenchong Shipyard in Guangzhou.
The ceremony took place on Friday [12 July] when AAL Hamburg was handed over in the presence of representatives from AAL, Columbia Shipmanagement, Schoeller Holdings and the shipbuilder, ahead of the vessels inaugural commercial voyage from Asia to Europe.
AAL Hamburg’s maiden voyage will see the vessel transport a mix of project cargo, including ducts and panels; boiler parts; transformers and accessories; as well as four barges weighing approximately 5,600 tonnes in total. The barges will be the first to take advantage of the AAL Engineering Team’s ECO DECK innovation, a retractable weather deck system that increases the clear stowage space on deck to over 5,200 sq m.
The first six Super Bs are fitted with three heavy lift port side cranes (350 tonnes capacity each and 700 tonnes maximum lift) while ships 7 and 8, added to the order this year, will have that capacity upped to 400/800 tonnes. All of the 32,000 DWT, dual-fuel-capable class members will be delivered by the end of 2026.
“The delivery of AAL Hamburg, as well as the success of [first in class] AAL Limassol’s record-setting maiden voyage, is the realisation of a long-term strategy initiated several years ago to have a highly capable fleet suited to serve the variety of cargo types and industries that our customers represent,” AAL MD Christophe Grammare said.
“We have seen from AAL Limassol’s voyage – with a hugely varied cargo load of nearly 90,000 freight tons including barges, modules, cranes and wind turbines – that the Super B-Class fleet is already realising a new level of capability for AAL. AAL Hamburg’s maiden voyage is further reinforcing that sentiment and we are looking forward to welcoming the remaining vessels in the series over the next two years.”
