AAL Shipping (AAL) is taking delivery of two additional ‘G-Class’ multipurpose heavy lift vessels, expanding its core fleet to 720,200 total deadweight (DWT). The Pacific Action and AAL Gladstone have both served in the AAL fleet in the past and re-join later this month – the former renamed this week, ‘AAL Gibraltar’. These versatile and relatively young vessels feature a total cargo intake of 35,705 cubic meters, four large cargo holds, three tweendecks and a maximum lift capacity of 240 tonnes – ideal for trading all manner of project heavy lift, breakbulk, steel and dry bulk commodities. They join one of the sector’s largest and youngest fleets that already consists of two sister vessels, AAL Genoa and Pacific Alert (TBN AAL Galveston) and will operate worldwide in support of AAL’s well established monthly liner services, regular trade routes and tailormade tramp chartering solutions.
Kyriacos Panayides, Managing Director of AAL, commented, ‘We are delighted to have secured these vessels. Large heavy lift multipurpose ships of this calibre and lifting capability represent a small fraction of the global MPP fleet and AAL is uniquely well experienced in optimising their operations and harnessing their strengths in order to generate value for our customers’ global trading demands. They will add much needed capacity to a portfolio of multipurpose shipping services that have grown exponentially over the past 12 months.’
‘Since February 2020, we have built a scheduled monthly liner service between Europe, Middle East and Asia, a regular monthly tramp service between Asia and the Americas and frequent sailings from Asia to Europe – all this in addition to our Asia- Australia Liner Services and global Tramp Chartering operations. It has been an extremely busy and sustained period of growth for AAL and these new ladies will help to drive that momentum forward.’
Marc Willim, General Manager of AAL’s Chartering Team, added, ‘The G-Class are large 25,800 dwt MPVs, that complement our fleet profile. Global trading is only now emerging from the negative impact of COVID and also important multipurpose cargo sectors like oil and gas are still pressured. However, there is growing optimism and the recent surges in the container and commodity markets have demonstrated the importance of being flexible and ready to serve cargo demand and from wherever it may come.
‘We are seeing market economies begin to strengthen and rebuild in confidence across Europe, Middle East, Asia and the Americas and trade war machinations of 2020 resolve. Energy, steel, infrastructure, bulk and general cargoes are all trading worldwide. Carriers like AAL, that have the expertise, trade route infrastructure and fleet capability to parcel these big and small cargoes on the same sailings and deliver worldwide will be in a position to offer shippers timely solutions and highly competitive economies of scale.’
