AAL Shipping completed the transport of all 188 steel bridge segments for Melbourne’s North East Link project, concluding a year-long campaign involving nine consecutive sailings from China to Australia.
The programme moved a total of 60,500 revenue tonnes of prefabricated bridge sections from Taicang Port in China to Appleton Terminal and Webb Dock in Melbourne for the Eastern Freeway Burke to Tram Alliance.
The largest individual section measured 48.6 metres long, 6.9 metres wide and 3.3 metres high, with weights reaching 113 tonnes.
AAL’s chartering and operations teams coordinated vessel capacity throughout the campaign while managing port congestion and severe weather including typhoons, gale-force winds and dense fog.
Strict biosecurity and zero-damage requirements added another layer to the operation. All deck cargo underwent freshwater wash-down before arrival in Melbourne, with each of the 188 sections delivered in line with the project’s handling requirements.
“Our Shanghai team worked hand-in-hand with the principal contractor throughout the project, adapting to a fast-changing construction timeline while meeting the client’s exacting standards,” said Jack Zhou, General Manager and Chief Representative, China at AAL Shipping.
The North East Link programme follows AAL’s recent transport of tunnel boring machine components for Victoria’s Suburban Rail Loop and further strengthens the carrier’s project cargo activity between China and Australia.
“The cargo required specialised heavy lift capability, flexible stowage and close supply chain coordination to keep project milestones on track throughout a long-running delivery schedule,” said Chris Yabsley, Chartering Manager, Australia at AAL Shipping.
North East Link is one of Australia’s largest road infrastructure developments, with AAL’s completed shipping campaign supplying the prefabricated bridge structures required for the Melbourne project.
