Heavy-lift vessel operator AAL Shipping (AAL) says it is preparing to take delivery of the sixth in a series of eight Super B-class “powerhouses”. The 179.9m x 30m, 32,000dwt methanol-ready vessel, christened AAL Dammam in a naming ceremony hosted at the Guangzhou facility of Chinese builder (and long-standing AAL collaborator) CSSC Huangpu Wenchong Shipbuilding, is designed to handle various multipurpose cargoes, including heavy-lift project components, breakbulk and dry bulk, on a single voyage.
AAL Dammam has a depth of 15.5m and draws 6.5m. The 41,500m3 vessel can accommodate more than 100,000 freight tonnes of breakbulk and heavy-lift cargo, and is fitted with three 350tonne-capacity heavy-lift cranes, which can be combined to handle a maximum of 700tonnes. AAL says: “Two large, box-shaped cargo holds are optimised for dry bulk, featuring adjustable pontoon triple decks and no centreline bulkhead.”
The seventh and eighth Super B units on order, AAL Newcastle and AAL Mumbai, are scheduled for delivery from CSSC Huangpu Wenchong Shipbuilding in 2026, though each will feature a higher maximum lift capability of 800tonnes.
Kyriacos Panayides, AAL CEO, comments: “Whilst the current geopolitical landscape makes short-term planning extremely difficult, the long-term forecast for the global industrial sector…is nevertheless strong. Global industry is experiencing record levels of capital input, with clean-energy investment alone expected to hit US$2.2 trillion in 2025, according to the International Energy Agency. And, whilst renewables continue to lead new project activity, we are not dependent on a simple ‘fossil-to-clean’ shift for cargo volumes, but rather a layered build-out across all industrial energy and resource sectors.
“Oil and gas project development is forecasted to grow to US$9.9 trillion by 2029, with LNG a bright spot featuring multiple export projects in the US, Qatar and Canada due online by 2026–2028. The mining sector too remains strong, with over 5,400 mining projects valued at US$406 billion scheduled to start construction by the end of 2025.”
