Specialist breakbulk and project heavy lift carrier AAL has successfully shipped 22 petrochemical plant modules from the Wilson Heavy Industry Company in Nantong, to the Ethylene Glycol II Expansion Project in Point Comfort, Texas on behalf of the Pacific Ocean Group Limited.
The shipment of 22 modules – 26,000 cbm in total and weighing 1,280 t – was loaded in Nantong and transported on a single sailing to Point Comfort aboard the mega-size MPV, the A-Class 31,000 dwt AAL Pusan. The project made good use of her 700 t max heavy lifting gear in loading and discharge operations, and harnessed over half of her copious intake capacity of 40,000 cbm, with several units stowed away in her holds whilst others were securely lashed onto her weather deck.
The Ethylene Glycol II Expansion Project is operated by Nan Ya Plastics, a division of the Taiwanese petrochemicals production giant the Formosa Plastics Corporation. Once installed, the modules will aid in the production of Ethylene Glycol – an odorless and colourless organic compound used in the manufacture of automotive antifreeze, hydraulic fluids, printing inks, and paint solvents. It is also used as a reagent in the making of polyesters, resins, and synthetic waxes.
Jack Zhou, AAL’s General Manager and Chief Representative for China, commented: “With the larger multipurpose heavy lift tonnage incorporated into AAL’s unique fleet mix, we can offer customers both flexibility in stowage planning, and significantly more space than other carriers – providing considerable cost and efficiency savings for them in the process. This is particularly true of a ‘mega-size’ (+30,000 dwt) MPV like the A-Class; as such the AAL Pusan proved the perfect multipurpose vessel to accommodate this challenging project.”