AAL Shipping has announced it is due to take possession of the second of eight vessels in its Super B-Class newbuilding series, ‘AAL Hamburg’.
On 12 July 2024, AAL Hamburg was formally christened after the ancient German port city that serves as a crucial hub for AAL’s European activities.
AAL Shipping, Columbia Shipmanagement, Schoeller Holdings, and CSSC Huangpu-Wenchong Shipbuilding all sent representatives to the event.
The 32,000 dead weight tonnage (DWT), dual fuel multifunctional heavy lift vessel is outfitted with three heavy lift port side cranes as well as the latest invention from the AAL Engineering Team, the ‘AAL ECO-DECK’.
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The retractable weather-deck technology, which will be installed on all Super B-Class vessels, boosts the deck’s clean stowage area to more than 5,200 square metres.
AAL Hamburg will shortly join sistership AAL Limassol, the first vessel in the series, to trade on vital routes from Asia to Europe, America, and Australia.
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, for which the ECO-DECK will be deployed.
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Christophe Grammare, AAL Managing Director, said: “The delivery of AAL Hamburg, as well as the success of 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’s third-generation newbuildings will add a total of eight Super B-Class vessels to the fleet, after the order of two more vessels in May.
The newly ordered AAL Newcastle and AAL Mumbai vessels will have a maximum heavy lift capacity of 800 tonnes. The remaining vessels in the series will be delivered from now until 2026.
