Above: Global project heavy lift specialist AAL Shipping (AAL) is preparing to take delivery of its sixth 32,000-deadweight Super B-Class, 700-MT heavy lift vessel – the AAL DAMMAM.
Unveiled at a naming ceremony at the CSSC Huangpu Wenchong Shipyard in Guangzhou, China, she is part of an eight-vessel newbuilding fleet totalling 256,000 deadweight tons. With project customers already lining up to make full use of this innovative heavy lifter, she will immediately enter service with her maiden voyage, transporting offshore renewable energy cargo from China to the UK.
The methanol-ready and dual-fuel AAL DAMMAM was engineered to transport a vast array of multipurpose cargoes including heavy lift project components, breakbulk, and dry bulk all on a single voyage. The 41,500 CBM newbuild has a length of 179.9 meters and a breadth of 30 meters. She can accommodate over 100,000 FRT of breakbulk and heavy lift cargo and is equipped with three 350 mt heavy lift cranes, combinable up to a 700 MT maximum. Two large, box-shaped cargo holds are optimized for dry bulk, featuring adjustable pontoon triple decks and no centre-line bulkhead.
Reflecting on the significant investment this newbuilding fleet represents, AAL CEO Kyriacos Panayides commented:
“Whilst the current geopolitical landscape makes short-term planning extremely difficult, the long-term forecast for the global industrial sector – which we specifically designed and built these powerhouses to serve – 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 IEA. 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 & 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 slated to start construction by the end of 2025.”
In 2026, AAL will take delivery of its final two Super B-Class vessels — the AAL NEWCASTLE and AAL MUMBAI — which will feature an increased maximum heavy lift capability of 800 MT.