Multipurpose shipping line AAL Shipping has delivered three fully assembly Konecranes port cranes from Schiedam and Westdorpe, the Netherlands, to ports in Mexico and Chile.
The 32,000 dwt Super B-class vessel AAL Hamburg was used to move the 220,000 freight tons (FRT) shipment with an open hatch sailing configuration.
Each of the 642-tonne Gottwald ESP 10 mobile harbour cranes (MHCs) measure 80.3 m (including the jib) x 15.5 m x 58.2 m, and each have a lifting capacity of 125 tonnes. Two of the cranes were loaded onto the vessel in Schiedam, whilst the final crane was loaded in Westdorpe – the total cargo height during the lifts reached 104 m.
Given the height of the cranes, AAL opted for a tank top stowage and open hatch sailing design to sail via the North Atlantic and the Panama Canal.
“The air draught may be so high that the vessel carrying these cargoes could not pass under bridges. When designing the Super B-class, we addressed this issue by incorporating the open hatch capability,” said Yahaya Sanusi, deputy head of transport engineering at AAL. “This enables us to load cargoes such as the Konecranes Gottwald ESP 10 mobile harbour cranes in the hold and sailing with the open hatch to reduce the total air draft by over 16 m.”
Once loaded, the crane jibs were then lowered onto the deck in resting position, ready for their 9,900 nautical miles (18,000+ km) long ocean voyage. The open hatch stowage configuration and consequent sailing via the Panama Canal allowed for the fastest possible delivery to the destinations, shorting the voyage by about 2,800 nautical miles.
“AAL could offer an excellent shipping solution where the cranes are stowed on the tank top deck reducing the overall air draft of the shipment to the absolute minimum,” added Ole Kornol, head of project management, MHC, at Konecranes. “This engineering solution enabled the preferred sea passage through the Panama Canal, shortening the transit time and minimising the risk. The cooperation with AAL was very constructive and professional.”
In March 2025, AAL held a formal naming ceremony for AAL Dubai, its fifth Super-B class vessel.
