AAL Shipping (AAL) has successfully transported three fully assembled Konecranes port cranes from Schiedam and Westdorpe, Netherlands, to ports in Mexico and Chile. The over 220,000 freight ton shipment was executed using the 32,000 deadweight Super B-Class vessel, AAL Hamburg, in an innovative open hatch sailing configuration – marking a first for this vessel type.

The Gottwald ESP 10 mobile harbour cranes are among the largest Konecranes models available, designed for handling container operations of Super-Post-Panamax vessels. Each of the three approximately 642-tonne cranes measures 80.3 m long (including the jib), 15.5 m wide, and 58.2 m tall, and feature a maximum lifting capacity of 125 tonnes.

Two of the cranes were loaded onto the AAL Hamburg in Schiedam, while the third was expertly lifted and placed onboard the vessel in Westdorpe. Carefully loaded with AAL Hamburg’s own heavy lift cranes, the total cargo height during the lifts reached 104 m.

Due to the towering height of the cranes, AAL developed a tank top stowage and open hatch sailing plan to sail via the North Atlantic and the Panama Canal – an operation only possible thanks to the design of the Super B-Class. “As project cargoes like port cranes continue to grow in size, they present unique challenges for shipping, particularly in terms of deck loading and clearance restrictions,” explained Yahaya Sanusi, Deputy Head of Transport Engineering. “The air draft 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. 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.

At their respective ports, the cranes were offloaded once again with AAL Hamburg’s heavy lift cranes, which can be combined to handle a maximum payload of 700 tonnes, completing yet another successful and record-breaking voyage for AAL’s newbuild Super B-Class fleet.

“With previous Super B-Class sailings we have demonstrated our vessels’ impressive cargo intake capabilities and the benefits of our ECO-DECK design. This latest shipment underscores another key advantage of the Super B-Class: open hatch sailing for taller cargoes, allowing us to save time and money for our customers,” said Sanusi.

This was echoed by Ole Kornol, Head of Project Management, MHC, at Konecranes, who added: “Planning and finally executing the sea passage of three of our largest mobile harbour cranes is a very challenging task, especially as the three cranes are heading towards destinations at the west coast of the American continent. 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. 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.”