AAL Shipping Moves 255-Tonne Shiploader to Philippines, Boosting Intra-Asia Heavy-Lift Credentials

AAL Shipping has transported a 28-metre-high, 255-tonne shiploader aboard the AAL Singapore to Bataan in the Philippines, reinforcing its position in Asia’s fast-growing intra-Asia trade corridor. The unit, carried on AAL’s 31,000 dwt A-Class multipurpose vessel on its Asia–Europe service, was discharged for Foremost Milling Corporation and will operate at the Mariveles Grain Corporation terminal as part of an end-to-end grain handling system.

With a rated discharge capacity of around 10,000 tonnes per day, the shiploader is expected to enhance grain import logistics and support growth in the local food and agribulk sector. The heavy-lift operation required a tandem lift using the vessel’s port-mounted cranes with a maximum combined lifting capacity of 700 tonnes, stabilised by two counterweights, bringing the gross lift to 312 tonnes under tight height and clearance constraints at the site.

AAL’s engineering team had to execute a strictly vertical lift from the pad eyes to avoid structural stress on the cargo while working within limited clearance around nearby structures, such as a generator and access platform. The project underlines rising demand for specialised heavy-lift and multipurpose tonnage in Southeast Asia, where more than US$110 billion worth of port infrastructure projects are currently underway, and where AAL says it is well placed to provide EPC-grade engineering and reliable project cargo solutions.