On one of those lazy days between Christmas and New Year, the ones which seem to be nameless as they all strangely feel like a weekend, I had the pleasure of sitting on the wharf, reading a new book whilst taking in one of my most favourite places in Fremantle. Victoria Quay.
It seemed fitting to have AAL Fremantle berthed opposite at the quay and its name had me curious, so it has the honour of being our first Ship Ahoy for 2018.
The AAL Fremantle belongs to a multi award winning company AAL (Austral Asia Line), who also boast “the sector’s youngest fleet of new generation and technologically advanced multipurpose heavy lift vessels”. The company was founded in the Netherlands in 1995, with its headquarters located in Singapore since 2009.
The AAL Fremantle is a ‘multipurpose heavy lift vessel’ with large and even deck space, offering infrastructure with side mounted heavy lift cranes, removable and height adjustable ‘tween decks, large cargo holds with independent dehumidifiers and strengthened tank tops.
She also has an interesting history with Fremantle Ports. Back in August 2014 along with the vehicles carrier Grand Pioneer she broke away from her moorings during a storm. The winds surpassed the prediction of 28 – 33 knots reaching 55 knots. The rest of this enticing story is definitely worth a Google search or a trip to Fremantle Library or maybe even the Fremantle Port Authority building. The staff there are most helpful and friendly.
| IMO | 9521095 |
| MMSI | 636018136 |
| CALL SIGN | D5018 |
| FLAG | Liberia |
| AIS VESSEL TYPE | CARGO |
| GROSS TONNAGE | 14053 |
| DEADWEIGHT | 18762t |
| LENGTHOVERALL X BREADTH EXTREME | 148.59M x 23.49M |
| YEAR BUILT | 2011 |
| STATUS | Departed Fremantle Ports 28th December 0715hrs heading for China via the Java Sea |
| SPEED RECORDED | 13.8/12.9 knots |
