With the “AAL Antwerp”, the heavy-lift shipping company AAL, part of the Schoeller Group, has put the fourth ship in its Super B class into service.
This marks half-time. The series will not end until 2026, and the shipping company will celebrate its 25th year of existence next year.
With a carrying capacity of 32,000 dwt, the “AAL Antwerp” is identical in design to the three sister ships that have already been delivered. The shipyard is CSSC Huangpu Wenchong in Guangzhou, China. The engines are methanol-capable.
Eight large heavy-lifters for AAL
The shipping company is focusing on relatively large ships. The heavy-lifters will be 179.9 metres long, have a width of 30 metres and a ballast draught of 6.5 metres. The weather deck offers 4,500 square metres of open deck space, with extendable pontoons on the starboard side of the ship to further increase the storage space on deck.
The vessel can carry over 90,000 tons and has a combined lifting capacity of 700 tons. It is designed to accommodate a variety of cargoes simultaneously, from heavy-lift project equipment to break bulk and bulk cargo.
Following her official debut, the “AAL Antwerp” will immediately embark on her maiden voyage and together with her sister ships “AAL Limassol”, “AAL Hamburg” and “AAL Houston” will serve project cargo customers between Asia, Europe, the Middle East and America.
The remaining vessels in the Super B-class series will be delivered by 2026, including the “AAL Newcastle” and the “AAL Mumbai”, which will have an increased maximum heavy-lift capacity of 800 tons.
