Multipurpose heavy lift carrier AAL Shipping’s first Super B-class newbuilding, AAL Limassol, was successfully launched at the CSSC Huangpu Wenchong Shipyard in Guangzhou, China.
In total, AAL Shipping will take delivery of six newbuildings, placing the initial order for four of the vessels in late 2021 before increasing the order the following February. Five of the vessels will be named after major breakbulk ports – AAL Antwerp, AAL Hamburg, AAL Houston, AAL Dubai and AAL Dammam – while AAL Limassol is named in tribute to the town where AAL’s story first began in 1995.
The 32,200 dwt units, which have been designed and developed in cooperation with Columbia Shipmanagement, should start entering service next year. The vessels fit the mould of AAL Shipping’s fleet profile, which comprises predominantly larger multipurpose ships with heavy lifting capabilities. Each will feature three 350-tonne lifting capacity cranes that enable heavy cargoes to be loaded and stowed across the ship’s entire deck length. Maximum lift capacity is rated at 700 tonnes.
The Super B-class will be able to accommodate 60,000 freight tons (FRT) of cargo on a single sailing. A clear weather deck space of 146 m x 26 m will feature unique extendable pontoons that can increase stowage space even further. Under deck there will be two box-shaped cargo holds, one measuring 68 m x 25 m, and the other 38 m x 25 m. The Super B-class will be dual-fuel and methanol ready. It will be powered by 7,380 kW MAN main engine – supported by two 1,700 kW and one 1,065 kW auxiliary diesel generators.
Updated Jan 4, 2024
Yahaya Sanusi, deputy head of AAL’s transport engineering department explained, “With all major equipment installed on board, launching provides the perfect test of a newbuild’s water integrity and stability. Once successfully completed, engine shafting, hatch covers, pontoons and even cranes are finally adjusted. This is primarily because the hull structure of the vessel flexes into a shape which is closer to its normal operating mode and, with ‘digital manufacturing’, the results are extremely good and within the required engineering tolerance levels.”
Approximately three quarters of the work onboard has already been completed, he added, and many of the additional work packages can be built simultaneously and later assembled on board. AAL Limassol will go for seatrials in April 2024 before her delivery to AAL in May 2024.
