AAL Shipping’s New Heavy Lift Vessel Ready for Maiden Voyage
AAL Shipping (AAL) has held a formal naming ceremony for the AAL Antwerp, the fourth vessel in its eight-strong, third-generation Super B-Class fleet.
With the new vessel, AAL has reached the halfway mark in its latest fleet expansion program, aimed at meeting demand demands of the multipurpose (MPP) project heavy lift shipping sector.
The 32,000 dwt AAL Antwerp – a methanol-ready, multipurpose heavy lift vessel – was officially named on November 15 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.
Following her formal debut, AAL Antwerp will immediately embark on her maiden voyage, joining sisterships AAL Limassol, AAL Hamburg, and AAL Houston in servicing project cargo customers between Asia, Europe, Middle East and the Americas.
"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,” said Frank Mueller, General Manager Oceania at AAL Shipping.
The remaining vessels in the Super B-Class series will be delivered between now and 2026, including the AAL Newcastle and AAL Mumbai, which will have an increased maximum heavy lift capability of 800 tonnes.