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The shipping company AAL Shipping officially unveiled the AAL Newcastle, its new Super B-Class vessel, during a ceremony held at the CSSC Huangpu Wenchong shipyard in Guangzhou, China. The event also served to announce the addition of two new vessels, AAL Tianjin and AAL Miami, scheduled for 2028.
In this context, the company is strengthening its growth strategy with a fleet that will reach ten Super B-Class units. This expansion responds to growing global demand for heavy cargo transport and industrial project logistics.
According to Kyriacos Panayides, CEO of AAL Shipping, these vessels reflect the company’s focus on continuous improvement and on developing solutions tailored to customer needs. He also highlighted the decades-long collaboration with the Chinese shipyard, which has been key to building this new generation of vessels.
About the AAL Newcastle
In addition, the AAL Newcastle incorporates significant improvements in lifting capacity. Each crane now reaches 400 tonnes, compared to 350 tonnes in previous versions, enabling a combined capacity of up to 800 tonnes.
This advancement facilitates the handling of larger structures in a single operation, which is especially useful in sectors such as offshore wind energy, where components are increasingly larger.
According to Yahaya Sanusi, AAL’s Deputy Head of Engineering, these improvements respond directly to current operational challenges and help optimize loading and unloading times.
In addition, the new vessels incorporate a 26-metre lifting beam, up from the previous 20-metre beam, improving the handling of elongated loads. Adjustments have also been introduced to the main and auxiliary hooks, extending the lifting reach.
These optimizations enable better use of deck space and greater operational flexibility, key elements in oversized cargo transport.
Source and photo: AAL Shipping