AAL’s Third ‘Super B-Class’ Vessel Sets Sail (video)

AAL Shipping has taken delivery of the third in its eight-strong series of “Super B-Class” vessels, as the project carrier readies the new arrival for its maiden mission.

Following a formal naming ceremony at the CSSC Huangpu-Wenchong Shipyard in Guangzhou, China, the AAL Houston has begun preparations for its first voyage transporting a mix of project cargo including HRSG modules, transformers, plant equipment and barges.

The first in the series, AAL Limassol, was launched last December and has already begun trading on key routes from Asia to Europe, the Americas and Australia. The second, AAL Hamburg, was delivered in July. The remaining vessels in the series – all named after breakbulk-handling ports – are slated for delivery between now and 2026.

According to the carrier, the design of AAL Houston has been honed to support the future demands of the industrial project and heavy-lift sector. The 32,000 deadweight-tonnage, dual-fuel vessel is equipped with three portside cranes boasting a maximum lifting capacity of 700 tons and an outreach of 35.7 meters. Two of the vessels in the series – AAL Newcastle and AAL Mumbai – will have a higher lift capacity of 800 tonnes.

A retractable weather-deck system dubbed the Eco-Deck will be fitted on all Super B-Class vessels to increase clear stowage space on deck to more than 5,200 square meters.

The breakbulk carrier said the design was a culmination of “decades of collaboration” between AAL’s parent group Schoeller Holdings, AAL, Columbia Ship Management, SDARI and the CSSC Huangpu-Wenchong Shipyard.

“Our first-generation vessels were built in 2002. After our second generation of vessels from 2010 to 2014, we have returned with the improved, new version – the Super B-Class,” said Heinrich Schoeller, Schoeller Holding’s founder and chairman. “The culmination of all that experience – from the shipyard, SDARI, AAL, CSM and Schoeller Holdings – has gone into these latest ships. The Super B-Class is a completely new type of vessel and has been painstakingly designed to meet the demands of the future.”

Kyriacos Panayides, CEO of AAL, pointed to the “dilemma” of initiating newbuilding projects that meet the current demands of its customers and the market while anticipating the requirements of tomorrow.

“We are at a crossroads of environmental change and a rapidly developing project landscape,” the executive said. “Demands upon our fleet have never been higher – so we needed to raise the bar with these heavy lift vessels and the results are already positive, with the maiden voyages of the AAL Limassol and AAL Hamburg breaking cargo records.”


Schoeller and Panayides speak more about the Super B-Class:



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