Premium project heavy lift carrier AAL Shipping (AAL) was awarded ‘Ship Operator of the Year’ for the third year running at the Heavy Lift Awards 2024, which took place at the Royal Lancaster Hotel in London on October 23.

Organised by Heavy Lift & Project Forwarding International, the annual awards recognise outstanding achievements within the project cargo supply chain, and AAL Shipping is honored to have been selected by an independent panel of judges representing its peers across the industry.

AAL’s entry detailed how its ongoing investment and accountability strategy turned to action. 2024 has been a milestone year for AAL Shipping in this regard, as it executes its long-term investment strategy to provide the global market a young and dynamic multipurpose heavy lift fleet – realised through the delivery of its third newbuilding programme comprising eight 32,000 deadweight ‘Super B-Class’ vessels. The ‘AAL Limassol’ was the first of these to enter the water, breaking performance records with a maiden voyage of barges, wind blades, trucks, transformers, modules, and a dismantled crane – testament to the broad range of project cargo customers AAL serves worldwide.

From left to right: Host Zoe Lyons; John Pittalis, Head of Marketing & Communications; Kryiacos Panayides, CEO; Sophie Barnes, Communications Officer; and Steve Hutty, Global Chartering Director at Trans Global Projects (TGP).

In addition to successfully completing 231 voyages, 1,278 port calls and serving more than 35 different markets between January 2023 to June 2024, AAL has worked hard to harmonise the strictest ESG standards across its operations – comprising good governance, sustainability initiatives and a heightened focus on staff wellbeing. These reflect significant investment which, for the latter, include a wide range of mindfulness initiatives as well as training and employee development programmes that will continue to improve diversity, employee satisfaction and workplace harmony.

“It is our people that make the difference, and their hard work that deserves recognition,” said Kyriacos Panayides, CEO of AAL Shipping. “To win this award for the third consecutive year is no mean feat and justifies the ongoing dedication of the AAL team to upholding the highest level of service for our customers at a time when multiple external challenges place enormous strain on the global shipping supply chain, both operationally and commercially.

“These collaborative efforts to fine-tune our multipurpose cargo operations and provide the industry with a trusted premium service – combining a dynamic heavy lift fleet, sailings regularity and highly capable personnel at every level – are bearing fruit, and to be recognised for this by industry peers is something we take pride in. From the tumultuous COVID years to the unpredictable times we currently face, AAL continues to adapt and enhance its operations and realise a single-minded vision of becoming the MPP sector’s premium project carrier of choice, no matter what trends emerge in the coming years.”