The heavy lift shipping company AAL Shipping has christened the newbuilding “AAL Mumbai” in China. Two more ships from the series are set to follow.
Next newbuild for AAL Shipping: The shipping company celebrated the christening of the “AAL Mumbai” at the CSSC Huangpu-Wenchong shipyard in Guangzhou, China. This is now the eighth MPP ship in the Super B class. As AAL announced, the construction of two more units is currently being planned. They are scheduled for delivery in 2028. The shipping company signed the newbuilding orders for “AAL Tianjin” and “AAL Miami” in March.
The name “AAL Mumbai” is intended to reflect the focus on the Indian market. Mumbai, located on the west coast of India, is the country’s largest city and also one of the “most important maritime, industrial and economic centers”, the shipping company announced. The vessel joins the fleet at a time when India’s infrastructure, energy and offshore renewable energy sectors are experiencing sustained growth – a development that continues to drive demand for specialized transport solutions for heavy lift and project cargo.
“The christening of the ‘AAL Mumbai’ is a symbolic moment for us as we continue to expand our presence in India,” commented Marc Willim, Global Head of Chartering at AAL Shipping. “This vessel strengthens our ability to serve Indian customers with safe, reliable and flexible heavy lift solutions while reaffirming our commitment to support India in its role as a key driver of global demand for project cargo.”
The “AAL Mumbai” (32,000 tdw) is the direct successor to its sister ship “AAL Newcastle” and features a number of technical innovations designed to increase both the efficiency of ship operations and the flexibility of cargo handling.
The most important innovations include an increased heavy-lift capacity: the lifting capacity of the individual cranes has been raised from 350 to 400 tons, enabling a combined lifting capacity of up to 800 tons. Additional optimizations also improve the load capacity and utilization of the deck area as well as the handling of long and complex project components. According to AAL, this will help to speed up port processes and minimize handling risks for shippers. The vessel will play a key role in enabling AAL to provide flexible mixed cargo solutions – meaning the simultaneous transportation of project cargo, large-volume general cargo and general cargo on a single voyage.
