Month: October 2015

AAL is pleased to announce the opening of a new office in Dubai, our third new office launch in the past two months following South Korea and Canada. ‘AAL Middle East’ will place the operator at the centre of an emerging and strategically important region for the project shipping sector, as government and private equity investment across the region brings exciting new infrastructure and energy developments into the fore.

AAL Middle East will offer Arabic and English language capabilities and provide local customers with tramp and project shipping solutions, featuring the highest level of technical expertise and competitiveness for all industry sectors and cargo types. The office will also draw upon our fleet of seven classes of multipurpose heavy lift vessels, ranging from 12,000dwt to 31,000dwt. As well as offering tailor-made solutions, AAL will harness the scalability of our operations and infrastructure, to potentially develop regular semi-liner services based on customer demand.

Commenting on the development, Namir Khanbabi, Managing Director of AAL’s global Tramp & Projects division, said: “The Middle East and Gulf market continues to experience significant capital expenditure and development in its infrastructure. It has also seen investment in construction and now growth in nuclear energy – as well as being a major hub for oil and gas projects. In conjunction with the changing geopolitical landscape, there is a real opportunity to work on-the-ground, to deliver competitive transportation solutions for complex and high value cargo in this important region.”

We will be presenting our new Dubai office capabilities and team at Breakbulk Middle East 2015 (Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre, Abu Dhabi – 27 & 28 October 2015) on booth B34.

Earlier this month, the annual AAL Senior Officers Conference (SOC) took place in Rijeka – principal seaport and third largest city in Croatia. This popular event is co-organised by AAL & Columbia Ship Management (CSM) to identify and consider opportunities for operational and cost efficiencies and greater safety within the AAL Fleet.

In attendance in Rijeka were members of AAL’s operational and senior management team, who joined their colleagues from CSM: including Masters, Chief Mates and Chief Engineers, predominantly from the AAL fleet. The SOC also hosts numerous workshops and training sessions, to help foster excellence in working practices and communication between ship commands and shore-based operational teams.

Our thanks go to the CSM Rijeka team for hosting the 2015 event and, to all our senior officers and their crews, we wish safe sailing!

Following the launch of our tramp & projects shipping cooperation in May 2015 with Peter Döhle, we have just announced the establishment of a new operation in Italy, through Genoa-based shipping company, OceanWise Corp (OWC), who will act as the cooperation’s commercial agents.

Based in Genoa, OWC will provide customers in Italy and wider Europe with tailor-made tramp and projects solutions to all trading points around the world.

Commenting on the development, Namir Khanbabi said: “The launch of this new operation in Italy is testament to the ambitions of the AAL & Peter Döhle co-operation, as well as the expansion of our customer base in Europe and their growing demand for evermore efficient and convenient project cargo solutions.”

John Jensen, General Manager of Peter Döhle, added: “The timing of this development could not have been better. We are seeing that despite increased competition, the market still places high value on working with operators that have a genuine understanding and solid expertise in transporting extremely valuable and complex cargoes – where safety and quality cannot be compromised.”

Maurizio Pigna, Chartering Director of OWC, concluded: “We will work with a wide range of customers from major industry sectors in Italy & Europe. In sectors like renewable energy there is real growth and, with our vast market experience and strong global partners in AAL & Peter Döhle, we are perfectly positioned to provide highly competitive transport solutions between any compass point.”

In the picture, taken at OWC’s Launch party in Genoa last month, are (left to right): Marco Wendt (AAL), John Jensen (PD), Namir Khanbabi (AAL), Alessandro Devincentiis (OWC), Maurizio Pigna (OWC), Jan-Hendrik Sibum (PD), Arne Engelken (AAL)

Contact details for OWC follow:

OceanWise Corp
Via Fieschi 8/6 – 16121 Genoa
Italy
T: + 39 010 806 0836
F: + 39 010 893 5914
E: infor@owc-italia.com