AAL Shipping announced to increase the order of the Super B-class heavy lift multipurpose vessels to a total of six. ´Super B-Class’ was a term coined in the company’s third-generation newbuilding plan, launched in November of last years. ‘Super B-Class’ vessels are the 32,000 deadweight (DWT) premium project multipurpose vessels. The new vessels will be named after some of the major ports, i.e.: AAL Antwerp, AAL Hamburg, AAL Houston, AAL Dubai and AAL Dammam. The sixth vessels will be named AAL Limassol, after the name of the town where AAL Shipping was first located in 1995.

The design of the multipurpose vessel was created by Columbia Shipmanagement (CSM),  AAL’s engineering and commercial teams. CSM is responsible for more than 250 newbuilding projects in top yards all over the world.

Nicola Pacifico, global head of AAL’s Transport Engineering Department, states, “The Super B-Class will have the capability to accommodate safely more than 60,000 freight tonnes (FRT) of cargo on a single sailing and literally any cargo big and small. The already significant clear weather deck space of 146 x 26 metres will feature unique extendable pontoons that can increase stowage space even further, as well as allowing certain cargoes to safely overhang the deck when required, like wind blades.”

“With the bridge and accommodation block positioned forward, our crews will have unobscured sailing visibility and no physical restriction on cargo height. Moreover, the vessels can also sail with open hatch covers, enabling extremely tall and over-dimensional units to be stowed safely in hold space. And, despite significant cargo intake volume and size (vessels will be just shy of 180 metres in length), the hull design of the Super B-Class will deliver a 6.5 metre minimum draft, allowing AAL to call far smaller and more remote ports, which is perfect for employment on dedicated large projects,” Pacifico explained.

Yahaya Sanusi, deputy head of AAL’s Transport Engineering Department and the naval architect responsible for many of the ideas incorporated into the vessels’ innovative design added, “Three heavy lift cranes positioned along the vessels’ port side will feature 350-ton lift each and combinable up to 700-ton max. Tandem lifting can be done in combination with both crane number 1 and 2, and crane number 2 and 3. This enables cargo loading at both the fore and aft of the vessel – optimising deck space and capacity and mitigating the need to lift large project cargo into just one area and move it by other means into final stowage position which is time and labour intensive. The cranes are also designed with a wider outreach of 35.7 metres at higher lifting capacity and render far more flexibility and options when loading large and / or heavy units.”

The vessels contain a deck with underneath a two box-shaped cargo holds. Both spaces will be 15,6 metres heigh. The two spaces will have a dimension of 68 by 25 metres and 38 by 25 metres. An adjustable pontoon triple deck will optimise cargo intake. The vessels are suitable for dry bulk and for stowage of dangerous IMO cargoes.

The Super B-Class will be NOx Tier III compatible with HPSCR, EEDI phase 3 compliancy, featuring a projected service speed of 14.5 knots. The vessels are dual fuel and methanol ready and run-on MAN main engines of 7,380 kW – supported by 2 x 1,700 kW and 1 x 1,065 kW auxiliary diesel generators. In additions these new vessels will meet the highest possible automation and emission standards, as well as complying with IMO regulations on emissions and sustainability for environmental protection.