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Following a string of new agency appointments and office launches across Europe – the most recent in Finland – global multipurpose and project heavy lift carrier AAL is strengthening those operations yet further with the appointment of Marc-Oliver Brockmann as European Commercial Manager. With 27 years in the project heavy lift cargo sector, Brockmann brings vast experience and a strong reputation for excellence to AAL’s Hamburg-based Team run by General Manager, Eike Muentz.

Spanning almost three decades, Marc’s shipping career has been with one company, the international breakbulk and project cargo broker, COLI Schiffahrt & Transport GmbH & Co KG. He started in 1992 as a Chartering Broker and got procuration in 1996. He was appointed General Manager of COLI’s Antwerp office in 2005 and, after his return, became Managing Director of the Hamburg office in 2010 and subsequently Managing Director of Korea Branch operations in 2013. He commented, ‘I grew up with COLI and during my tenure gained extensive knowledge of the project cargo market and particularly the trade between Europe and Asia – its ebbs and flows and key drivers. I hope now to share that expertise with AAL, an ocean carrier that I’ve worked with many times and highly respect for its professionalism and transparency in dealings.’

Eike Muentz added, ‘We are truly excited that someone of Marc’s calibre has agreed to spearhead our commercial and customer relations activity in Europe and help us to realise the next stage in our ambitious development strategy.’

‘Despite the market challenges that the multipurpose and project heavy lift sector has faced in recent years, AAL has managed to remain strongly independent and grow both its services and physical operations. In Europe, as with the rest of the world, we have built a reputation for actions and not words – delivering competitive solutions for our customers and putting their needs above all else. Not only is Marc ambitious and determined, but he shares our philosophy about customer service and its importance to sustainable business development.’

AAL CELEBRATES FELIXSTOWE INAUGURAL CALL WITH SUCCESSFUL DELIVERY OF FOUR RTGS FROM CHINA, FOR THE UK PORT’S EXPANSION PROJECT

AAL has successfully delivered a cargo of four rubber-tired gantry cranes (RTGs) to the Port of Felixstowe, as part of a development project that will see the UK’s busiest container port add an additional 18,000 teu of container storage capacity to meet growing demand. The ZPMC Chinese-made RTGs were loaded in Shanghai and shipped to Felixstowe aboard the 31,000 dwt mega-size mpv the A-Class AAL Kobe, for the CPIA forwarding and shipping agency. Each of the units measured 32 m x 14 m x 30 m and weighed just under 200 t.

The new remote controlled RTGs will serve Berths 8 and 9 at the Port and are capable of stacking containers six-high to enable more efficient use of the new yard. All four units were discharged safely using the Kobe’s own heavy lift cranes (700 t max lift) and due to the skill of her crew and support from AAL’s engineering department, who planned the entire operation and dispatched one of its most experienced Cargo Superintendents (CSIs) to oversee proceedings.

During the discharge operation, the Port of Felixstowe’s Head of Corporate Affairs Paul Davey visited the AAL Kobe to hand-over a commemorative plaque to her Master, Capt. Aleksandr Afanaskin, in celebration of AAL’s inaugural call.

Christophe Grammare, commented, “We are delighted to be back in the UK and calling for the first time in Felixstowe with such an impressive project cargo. Although the UK is a significant container shipping market – Felixstowe being the 6th busiest container port in Europe with about 26 million tons of cargo each year – it is not immediately associated with project heavy lift cargo. The RTGs were shipped there on-deck of the AAL Kobe which, with a highly flexible cargo capacity of almost 40,000 cbm, was also carrying additional project cargo under-deck that was discharged a few days later in Ireland.”

Captain Dai, CPIA’s General Manager concluded by saying, “The cooperation between ZPMC, AAL, Port of Felixstowe and CPIA was seamless and this proved to be key to the success of this entire operation. AAL’s professional and careful handling of this cargo throughout loading, stowage and discharge operations was impressive. Well done to all involved.”

To view more images and video of this operation, click here.

NOT AT ALL BORING FOR AAL! AAL MAKES HASTE TO DELIVER MEGA TUNNEL BORING MACHINES (TBMs) FOR GEODIS AND MAJOR AUSTRALIAN RAIL INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS!

In February, AAL successfully completed a major shipment of two mega tunnel boring machines (TBMs) from Nansha in South China to Sydney and Melbourne respectively, equipment that will help progress important new multi-billion-dollar metro railway projects taking place separately in the two state capitals. The two units and their components totaled over 7,445cbm and 2,000mt in weight and were shipped aboard the 31,000dwt heavy-lift MPV, the AAL Kembla, on behalf of Geodis Hamburg.

The two TBMs were manufactured by world-leader in heavy tunnel boring machines, Herrenknecht AG and this is the sixth shipment of such units that AAL has been commissioned to operate in the past eight months on the manufacturer’s behalf, via its selected logistics partner, Geodis Hamburg – all cargo destined for Australian infrastructure projects. The Larger of the two units on this shipment (weighing almost 1,000mt) is part of a 130-metre long boring machine named TBM Kathleen. She is the last of five mega borers for the Sydney Metro City & Southwest Project and will help to build twin 15.5km railway tunnels deep under Sydney Harbour – eventually enabling underground transport of passengers in state-of-the-art driverless trains.

Marco Wendt, European Chartering Manager commented, ‘Each of our six shipments of these enormous TBM units over the past eight months has provided unique challenges, which we addressed and overcame every time. On this occasion we had tight delivery deadlines. A four-day window to discharge the first unit in White Bay, Sydney – which we did directly to barge – and then to deliver the second unit to Melbourne by 28 February, which we also accomplished.’

He added, ‘Every day is a huge expense on such major infrastructure projects and Geodis know that AAL will pull out all stops to deliver on time and that we have the commitment, engineering and operations know-how to find solutions even under the most challenging circumstances. That trust between forwarder and carrier is extremely important and explains the long-term relationship we enjoy and the future projects already in the pipeline over the next few months.’

AAL PUSAN IN ‘A-CLASS’ OF HER OWN!

AAL MEGA-SIZE MPV DELIVERS 22 CHINESE PETROCHEMICAL PLANT MODULES TO MAJOR EXPANSION PROJECT IN TEXAS IN A SINGLE SAILING!

Specialist breakbulk and project heavy lift carrier AAL has successfully shipped 22 petrochemical plant modules from the Wilson Heavy Industry Company in Nantong, to the Ethylene Glycol II Expansion Project in Point Comfort, Texas on behalf of the Pacific Ocean Group Limited.

The shipment of 22 modules – 26,000 cbm in total and weighing 1,280 t – was loaded in Nantong and transported on a single sailing to Point Comfort aboard the mega-size MPV, the A-Class 31,000 dwt AAL Pusan. The project made good use of her 700 t max heavy lifting gear in loading and discharge operations, and harnessed over half of her copious intake capacity of 40,000 cbm, with several units stowed away in her holds whilst others were securely lashed onto her weather deck.

The Ethylene Glycol II Expansion Project is operated by Nan Ya Plastics, a division of the Taiwanese petrochemicals production giant the Formosa Plastics Corporation. Once installed, the modules will aid in the production of Ethylene Glycol – an odorless and colourless organic compound used in the manufacture of automotive antifreeze, hydraulic fluids, printing inks, and paint solvents. It is also used as a reagent in the making of polyesters, resins, and synthetic waxes.

Jack Zhou commented: “With the larger multipurpose heavy lift tonnage incorporated into AAL’s unique fleet mix, we can offer customers both flexibility in stowage planning, and significantly more space than other carriers – providing considerable cost and efficiency savings for them in the process. This is particularly true of a ‘mega-size’ (+30,000 dwt) MPV like the A-Class; as such the AAL Pusan proved the perfect multipurpose vessel to accommodate this challenging project.”

AAL has just delivered Victoria’s – and possibly Australia’s – largest ever transformer to the Stockyard Hill Windfarm Connection in Victoria on behalf of Australia-based global logistics solutions provider, Cargo Line International. The state-of-the art Toshiba-made unit will help to generate enough clean energy to power 390,000 average homes in the south east of the country every year with approximately 2 million tonnes of CO2 savings.

The 600MVA, 500/132kV Toshiba manufactured ‘mega-transformer’ measured approximately 14m x 5m and weighed over 305 mt. It was shipped from Shanghai to Geelong in Victoria, aboard one of AAL’s 31,000 dwt A-Class heavy-lift MPVs, the AAL Dalian. The unit was safely stowed by the crew of the Dalian into her 38m x 12.80m cargo hold no.3, harnessing her heavy-lift (700t max) port-mounted cranes for the successful loading and discharge operations.

World Leader in PMDD Turbine Technology, Goldwind Australia, operates the Stockyard Hill Windfarm Connection with support from Mondo, the commercial energy division of AusNet Services which owns and represents the Victoria electricity network. Construction of the windfarm commenced May 2018 and consists of 149 wind turbines that, as well as 530 MW of renewable energy, will provide significant environmental, community and economic benefits to the whole region. The transformer will be installed at the windfarm’s brilliantly-named ‘Haunted Gully’ Terminal Station in Lismore about 170km west of Melbourne.

Christophe Grammare, AAL’s Commercial Director, commented: “As Australia’s economy continues to perform well, with a supportive global environment and strong domestic demand set to maintain this growth for 2019, AAL is delighted to be part of a project that will have wide-reaching economic and community benefits. We’re also proud to contribute to such an important green power project and reinforce our reputation as carrier of choice for a growing number of Australia’s largest renewable energy projects.”

Bronwen Grabe, Cargo Line International’s Project Manager added, ‘Being entrusted by Toshiba International to handle the end to end Freight Forwarding Scope of this project has been a privilege. This project was years in the making and was a remarkable success which can be attributable to the professionalism and dedication of the Project Team at Cargo Line International achieving excellence. As an Australian owned company, we are proud to assist in a project that directly benefits and impacts the community and the environment.”

Dennis Freedman, Head of Infrastructure Development at AusNet Services, said, “The successful delivery of this transformer marks a huge milestone for this significant renewable energy project. It’s a great achievement and we want to thank everyone involved. In many ways this delivery represents the project as a whole – the importance of great relationships and successful collaboration with our delivery partners and the client.”

At Breakbulk Middle East 2019 in Dubai (11 to 12 Feb), AAL hosted the Expo’s most well attended and successful reception, 160m meters above ground at the stunning ‘Level 43 Sky Lounge’. Thank-you to all our guests for coming.

Featuring AAL Pusan loading 22 modules in Nantong, China

Featured video (https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-01-15/10715874) shows AAL Hong Kong as part of the transportation of wind cargo to Australia.

AAL is the official sponsor of the ‘Project Logistics Provider of the Year’ category at the inaugural Heavy Lift Awards, organised by HLPFI.

“AAL has been a close partner of HLPFI for many years and their understanding and appreciation of our sector has always been unwavering. We operate in a high pressure service environment, where no two companies, or the quality of their services, are the same and it is people who make the difference. We hope that these awards acknowledge the many unsung heroes working within our sector whose expertise, hard work and dogged determination keeps breakbulk and heavy lift project cargo moving smoothly between every compass point,” said AAL’s managing director Kyriacos Panayides.

As one of the world’s largest and most trusted operators, multipurpose carrier AAL has served the global breakbulk and heavy lift project cargo industry for a quarter of a century, operating across the energy, oil & gas, mining, forestry, leisure, agriculture and construction industries.

AAL provides customers with three distinct service models, including bespoke tramp and projects solutions to any location; scheduled liner services between Asia and Oceania; and semi-liner services combining fixed-routes with highly flexible port calls. AAL’s growing fleet of owned and chartered heavy lift multipurpose vessels is the sector’s youngest and spearheads the ‘mega-mpv’ (30,000+ dwt) segment, providing shippers with best-in-class economies of scale and cargo intake volumes.

With a multilingual office network spanning Asia, Oceania, Middle East, Europe, Africa and the Americas, as well as the sector’s finest commercial, engineering and operations professionals, AAL is able to locally address a global customer base 24/7.

Find out more about AAL’s services here.
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Congratulations to all 12 winners on the night!

AAL has launched ‘AAL Italia’, based in Genoa, in response to the growing demand within Italy for greater and more competitive tramp and project shipping options to and from major trading points around the world. This expanded Italian market presence will strengthen AAL’s European network and underlines its ongoing strategy to offer local shippers value-added access to the global multipurpose and project heavy-lift trade.

The move boosts AAL’s on-ground capabilities within the third largest national economy in the eurozone and twelfth largest by GDP in the world. AAL Italia is run by Chartering Director Alessandro De Vincentiis and President Michela Villa, both of whom have experience of working with AAL since 2015. They bring unrivalled local expertise and customer support ethics to a region experiencing real growth and development, especially in sectors like renewable energy.

Alessandro De Vincentiis commented; “With my own 20 years’ experience in the local shipping market and my colleague Michela’s 10 years, we have witnessed first-hand the highs and lows of the local MPV sector. After a very challenging period for the local market, I am truly excited to see a resurgence in project cargo demand from Italy into markets like Asia, Africa and Australasia and the US. We know the local shippers very well, and that, in combination with AAL’s global reputation, coverage and value-added ethics, puts us in poll position to service their needs.”

He continued; “AAL has been successfully delivering multi-billion-dollar global projects on time and under budget for over two decades and with its growing fleet of modern, multipurpose and heavy lift vessels we have everything our Italian customers need to successfully transport their cargoes – whatever they are – worldwide.”

Felix Schoeller, added; “We are always on the look-out for strong opportunities like this one that can benefit our customers, service offering and business development objectives. Italian shippers are well served not only by two well-established and regular semi-liner services – ‘Asia – N. America – Europe’, and ‘Europe – Middle East – Asia & AUS’ – but also highly flexible and competitive tramp services. AAL Italia will work hand-in-hand with our European hub office in Hamburg under the direction of Regional GM, Eike Muentz.

AAL’s specialist MPV fleet is one of the market’s youngest and biggest, combining extreme heavy lift capability (700mt max) with leading in-take capacity. Through a unique triage of award-winning services – Tramp, Semi-Liner & Liner – it has served the multipurpose cargo demands of oil & gas, energy, mining, infrastructure and forestry sectors across the world for almost 25 years.