AAL Shipping (AAL) has successfully transported three fully assembled Konecranes port cranes from Schiedam and Westdorpe, Netherlands, to ports in Mexico and Chile.

AAL Hamburg, a 32,000-deadweight Super B-Class vessel, transported more than 220,000 freight tons using an innovative open-hatch sailing configuration—a first for this vessel type.

The Gottwald ESP 10 mobile harbour cranes are among the largest Konecranes models available. They are designed for handling container operations of Super-Post-Panamax vessels.

AAL said 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, with a maximum lifting capacity of 125 tonnes.

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

AAL said the cranes' towering height required tank-top stowage and an open-hatch sailing plan for the voyage through the North Atlantic and Panama Canal, an operation made possible by the Super B-Class design.

"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," Yahaya Sanusi, deputy head of transport engineering, said.

"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 sail with the open hatch to reduce the total air draft by over 16 m."

AAL noted that 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, shortening 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.

"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," Sanusi said.

Ole Kornol, head of project management, MHC, at Konecranes, noted the challenge of moving the company's largest mobile harbour cranes.

"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," he said.