AAL Shippping (AAL) is further expanding its fleet with the acquisition of more multipurpose vessels.
The Singapore-based company has added further vessels to its owned multipurpose cargo vessel (MPV) fleet and this month, it saw the delivery of the 25,800 deadweight (DWT) vessels AAL Gunsan (built 2010).
Source: AAL Shipping
AAL said these are the last of four 25,800 DWT multipurpose heavy lift sister vessels secured through an acquisition transaction penned back in 2021 by AAL/ Schoeller Holdings Group.
During the summer, the AAL/Schoeller Holdings Group also further expanded its fleet with the acquisition of 'AAL Moon' – a 33,000 DWT multipurpose vessel built in 2010 and having previously served within the AAL fleet under commercial management since 2017.
Fleet expansion strategy
"These acquisitions are perfectly in line with our continued fleet strategy to employ large MPVs which, through their significant cargo intake volumes, offer our shippers greater economies of scale on every sailing. Indeed, AAL is one of the leading 'large tonnage' MPV operators in the market," said Kyriacos Panayides, chief executive officer (CEO), AAL.
He added that the vessels also expand AAL's multipurpose operating fleet to 864,800 DWT, of which 90% is now fully controlled by AAL/Schoeller Holdings Group.
"This authority that AAL has over its operating fleet is important to the long-term sustainable expansion and deployment of our vessels; the strengthening of our global service model; and the frequency and flexibility demanded by our diverse global customer base," Panayides added, noting that the vessels are being positioned across the world, in service of monthly liner, regular trade lane, and tramp chartering operations.
Despite a challenging 18 months of global market upheaval due to COVID, the container boom, and geo-political unrest, AAL noted that it has remained steadfast in support of its traditional breakbulk and multipurpose cargo customers – adding tonnage to, and improving frequency on, its core global trade lanes between the Americas, Africa, Europe, Middle East, India, Asia, and Oceania.
