The 32,000-deadweight heavy-lift vessel AAL HAMBURG has completed one of AAL’s most complex engineering operations to date, safely transporting 16 bulk-commodity transport barges with a combined volume of 80,000 freight tons on a single sailing from Brazil to Uruguay. Combining the next-generation capabilities of AAL’s 32,000 dwt Super B-Class with its award-winning engineering and operations expertise the voyage marks the first stage of establishing our regular presence in South America.
The barges being delivered by AAL will support local mining operations in harnessing inland waterways to transport iron and manganese ore from Brazil to Uruguay for export. They are expected to significantly increase capacity for more eco-efficient water-bound bulk transport and elevate Brazil’s presence in the global commodities market. The minerals will travel over 2,500km along the Paraguay – Paraná Waterway, a vital corridor linking Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, Argentina, and Uruguay with the Atlantic Ocean.
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| Eugene Nutovych, Senior Chartering Manager of AAL Americas |
Yahaya Sanusi, Deputy Head of AAL Engineering |
Each barge measures 61 metres in length, 15 metres in width, and weighs 380-400 tonnes. They were loaded and stacked over several days in a transverse four-tier formation with a 15-metre overhang on each side of the AAL HAMBURG – a configuration rarely seen in the industry. As tough as it was to execute, this unique formation enabled the vessel to accommodate 16 barges on a single voyage (14 on deck and 2 in the hold), a volume previously impossible with other vessel types or conventional multipurpose cargo methodologies. Once again, AAL’s ECO-DECK retractable deck-extension system proved invaluable to this cargo operation.
Photo 1: AAL Hamburg discharging 16 bulk-commodity transport barges from its four-tier stacked configuration following a 3,400 km voyage from Northern Brazil to Uruguay.
“The significant cargo overhang on both the starboard and port sides created major stability challenges along the 3,400 km ocean passage between Northern Brazil and Uruguay. We spent many weeks developing a safe and efficient solution to meet the client’s objectives – and delivered it through forward thinking engineering, and close collaboration between AAL and the wider supply-chain. The AAL HAMBURG proved self-sustaining, using her own 700-tonne max-lift cranes to avoid costly and hard-to-source floating cranes and helping to deliver optimum operational efficiency, and safety throughout,” said Yahaya Sanusi, Deputy Head of AAL Engineering.
Photo 2: Another angle of AAL Hamburg discharging 16 bulk-commodity transport barges from its four-tier stacked configuration following a 3,400 km voyage from Northern Brazil to Uruguay.
Eugene Nutovych, Senior Chartering Manager AAL Americas concluded, “This project has pushed boundaries, and we are immensely proud of what has been achieved. It has provided valuable experience and insights not only for AAL, but all supply chain partners involved – hugely important to the successful delivery of future project demands. “The production of high-grade iron and manganese ores is of huge commercial importance to the region – support, supporting the local economy and creating jobs. These barges will not only increase transport capacity in support of production but also help shift commodity transport from roads to a cleaner and much more efficient waterway solution.”
