October 10 - American Worldwide Agencies (AWA), a network of freight forwarders and agents, has been appointed sales agent for Austral Asia Line's (AAL) West Coast service.

AAL, a leading provider of ocean transportation services in the Asia Pacific region, caters primarily for the breakbulk, heavy lift, dry bulk and project cargo markets.
 
Effective October 1, 2013, the multi-year contract sees AWA serve as sales agent for AAL's direct port calls to and from Long Beach in Los Angeles; Vancouver, Washington; Everett, Washington; Vancouver, British Columbia; Prince Rupert, British Columbia; Busan, Korea; Shanghai, and in China: Tianjin, Nantong and Huangpu.
 
AAL says that heavy lift relay services of up to 700 tonnes are available to: Singapore; Laem Chabang in Thailand; Darwin, Mackay, Brisbane, Newcastle, Port Kembla, Melbourne, Freemantle, Port Hedland and Dampier in Australia: as well as New Zealand base ports. Further ports will be served on inducement.
 
According to an AWA press release, AAL's general manager of global operations, Ben Huizemga, says it made the appointment as, "AWA's approach will help deliver complete freight solutions to AAL customers in the North American heavy lift market."
 
AWA reports that AAL will deploy three new 31,000 dwt multipurpose vessels geared for heavy lift and project cargoes on the West Coast service. The A class vessels will have a lifting capacity of up to 700 tonnes; five box-shaped hills with multiple adjustable twin-decks; and wider hatches up to 37.9 m in length.
 
AAL expects a wide range of cargoes to be transported on the service including oil well and gas supplies, forestry products, wind and alternative energy products, heavy machinery, yachts and other craft from 6 m to over 61 m, agricultural and steel products.
 
"With our knowledge of the US market and AAL's fleet of new vessels, there is nothing we can't move from anywhere in the United States to anywhere in Australasia," says AWA ceo Andrew Scott. "AAL's service offers our breakbulk, oversized and project cargo customers another option over traditional vessels and makes us a truly one-stop-shop provider."


www.awaship.com
www.australasialine.com