AAL Shipping is gearing up for the launch of its Super B-Class heavy lift vessels, starting with the AAL Limassol in 2024. The third generation MPV fleet boasts design and technical innovations that make it the most advanced in the multipurpose cargo sector. The vessels were designed to safely accommodate over 42,000 CBM of cargo, big and small, on a single sailing, and feature a unique, retractable deck extension system that can increase stowage space even further.
The Super B-Class’s bridge and accommodation block is positioned forward to provide unobscured sailing visibility and no physical restriction on cargo height. The vessels can also sail with open hatch covers, enabling extremely tall and over-dimensional units to be stowed safely in hold space. Despite significant cargo intake volume and a length of 180 meters, the hull design delivers a 6.5-meter minimum draft, allowing AAL to call on smaller and more remote ports, making it perfect for dedicated, large projects.
Each Super B-Class vessel is equipped with three heavy lift cranes that can lift up to 350t each and combinable up to 700t max, enabling cargo loading at both the fore and aft of the vessel. The cranes also feature an outreach of 35.7 meters at higher lifting capacity, providing greater flexibility and options when loading large and/or heavy units.
The vessels are designed to meet the highest possible automation and emission standards, comply with IMO regulations on emissions and sustainability for environmental protection, and are dual-fuel and methanol ready. They are powered by MAN main engines of 7,380 kW, supported by two 1,700 kW and one 1,065 kW auxiliary diesel generators, and NOx Tier III compatible with HPSCR, EEDI phase 3 compliancy, featuring a projected service speed of 14.5 knots. They also feature modern ballast water treatment systems and innovative hull coating that delivers greater fuel efficiency and reduced CO2 emissions.
The Super B-Class vessels will be named after major breakbulk ports, with the sixth vessel (and first of the new fleet to be launched in 2024) proudly bearing the name AAL Limassol, in tribute to the town where AAL’s story first began in 1995.
