Interview with
Mr. Marc-Oliver Brockmann
Commercial Manager, Europe
AAL calls regularly in Europe, so can you tell us more about your plans in this regard? Also, could you elaborate for our readers on whether the service is liner, semi-liner or tramp and perhaps a bit about your overall plans and port call rotation?
We operate a Europe – Far East Service, offering fixed route sailings and flexible port calls between the north of the continent (ARA range and Baltic), Middle East, South East Asia and the Far East. The service currently employs three 19,000dwt S-Class vessels (700t max lift) and provides a thirty to forty-day frequency. The route is usually via the Med, but we can sail via West Africa or PG/Middle East, depending on cargo flows. We aim to soon establish monthly calls from Antwerp, Rotterdam, Hamburg and one or two additional loading ports in the Med.
Besides the Europe – Far East Service, earlier this year we also began looking into other trades ex Continent, again depending on cargo opportunities for the tramp vessels we have operating along the European coast. Under consideration are trades across the Atlantic to the Americas, as well as Africa and Australia.
Can you tell us more about the types of ships in the AAL Fleet?
AAL has invested significantly in designing and building next-generation multipurpose heavy lift vessels. This deep understanding of the ships we operate and the industry sectors within which our customers work is integral to helping us optimise the fleet’s performance and meet the needs of our global shippers. Depending on the type and volume of cargo, any of our vessels could be deployed in Europe at any time – comprising our 31,000dwt A-Class Vessels, 19,000dwt S-Class vessels, 33,000
We ‘carry it all’ for our customers – a huge variety of cargo types from heavy-lift project cargo, to breakbulk, steel and dry bulk commodities and all at the same time. With cargo flexibility core to their design, high equipment specification and multiple stowage configurations on deck and under
Today, the unique make-up of this fleet places AAL in pole position within the ‘mega size’ (30,000+ dwt) MPV segment, offering shippers leading cargo in-take, the highest economies of scale on every sailing and extreme heavy-lift capability (max 700 mt).
What about your agency network and marketing setup for your European service? Can you elaborate on the structure?
In Belgium, Netherlands, France and Spain we work with exclusive agents. De Keyser Thornton NV, Antwerp is our agent in Belgium, Netherlands and France – while in Spain we work with Maritima Davila Group.
AAL has its own branch offices in Italy, Finland and Hamburg but we also work closely with our colleagues in Houston, HQ in Singapore and other offices around the world.
Whom to ask in Europe and Asia for rates on the AAL service?
Cargo enquiries can be sent to commercial@aalshipping.com or chartering@aalshipping.com
Could you provide us with a few pictures of the ships that you intend to put regularly into the European service? Could you also perhaps provide us with a few examples of cargo that you already handled and delivered to or from Europe?
The AAL Kobe (31,000dwt / 700t max lift), discharging four Chinese-made Rubber Tired Gantry Cranes (RTGs) in Europe (Port of Felixstowe) (2019) – each unit measuring 32m x 14m x 30m and weighing just under 200 t.
The AAL Singapore (31,000dwt / 700t max lift) transporting two giant Seaport Passenger Boarding Bridges (SPBB) – measuring 32 metres long and weighing 205 tonnes each – from point of assembly in Europe (Barcelona) to PortMiami in 2018.
Finally, what can you tell us about the history of AAL?
AAL is a leading breakbulk and projects heavy lift operator and one of the multipurpose sector’s most awarded carriers – a shipowner and sector innovator with extensive maritime pedigree. We have twenty-five years’ experience in operating tramp chartering and liner services that serve the world’s most dynamic industries (like oil and gas, mining, energy, infrastructure and forestry) and provide trusted solutions for some of their biggest and most demanding billion-dollar projects around the world.
Today we employ one of the largest and youngest multipurpose heavy lift fleets in the sector, managed by a multilingual team of chartering, operations and engineering professionals working out of fifteen regional offices worldwide – from the Americas, Europe and the Middle East, across to Asia and Oceania. Whether handling spot cargo, or longer-term/multiple sailings employment, we understand the importance to all stakeholders of time and cost efficiency and can be trusted to deliver.
We were the first global carrier to employ large ‘mega-size’ tonnage in the tramp charter market, offering significant cargo intake volumes and competitive economies of scale to our customers large and small.
E-mail: europe@aalshipping.com
Web: https://www.aalshipping.com/
