Global project heavy lift specialist AAL Shipping (AAL) is set to welcome the AAL Dammam, the sixth vessel in its 32,000-deadweight (DWT), 700 metric tonne (MT) heavy lift Super B-Class series. The vessel was officially named at CSSC Huangpu Wenchong Shipyard in Guangzhou, China, and will immediately begin operations, carrying offshore renewable energy cargo from China to the UK on her maiden voyage.
The AAL Dammam is part of an ambitious eight-vessel newbuild program totaling 256,000 DWT. Designed as a versatile workhorse, she is methanol-ready and dual-fuel capable, built to handle a wide range of cargo types—including heavy lift project components, breakbulk, and dry bulk—on a single voyage. With a capacity of 41,500 cubic meters, she measures 179.9 meters in length and 30 meters in breadth, and can carry over 100,000 freight tons of cargo. Equipped with three 350 MT cranes combinable up to 700 MT, and featuring large, box-shaped holds with flexible decks, the AAL Dammam is engineered for maximum operational efficiency.
Commenting on the fleet expansion, Kyriacos Panayides, CEO of AAL, highlighted the strong long-term prospects of the global industrial sector. “Clean-energy investment alone is expected to reach US$2.2 trillion in 2025, and while renewables lead project activity, our vessels are designed to serve all industrial energy and resource sectors,” he noted.
Looking ahead, AAL will complete its newbuild program in 2026 with the delivery of the AAL Newcastle and AAL Mumbai, which will offer an enhanced heavy lift capacity of 800 MT.
