b'6American Journal ofTransportation ajot.comSolving project cargo challenges by thinking outside the boxBy Pete Goldin, AJOTAs a project cargo centeredfinding ways to mitigate the risk logisticscompany,theFrachtof this unreliable infrastructure. GroupusesinnovativerailcarInaddition,Liewaldsays designsandotherunconven- this increases project cargo lead tional solutions to ensure deliv- times, as they study bridges and ery of more than 450 extremelyroutes,obtainpermits,meet largeshipmentsannuallyforclearances, and plan for road and utility, oil and gas, and industrialintersection closures.customersintheUSAalone.When preparing a project, From power plants, substationswe have to consider all transport andrefineriestoindustrialandmodes, ports, routes, and carri-construction equipment, projecters, Liewald adds. That means cargopresentscomplexchal- people with the right experience lengesthatrequirestrategicandexpertiseareourgreat-planningandcreativitytogetestassets.Frachtmaintainsa monumental items from point Atechnicaltransportengineering The 32,000 dwt Super B-Class vessel, AAL Hamburg, laden with four barges to point B. department,andaspecialized railteamandrailfleet,how-AALs Grammare says the only constant int heP rojectc argo ever,Liewaldsaysalimited c hallenge numberofqualifiedresources the global project cargo business is change entEveryprojectisdiffer- in the industry to handle heavy andfacesuniquechal- transport presents another chal-lengesbecauseofcargosizeslengeso training and develop-Andrew Meadows, AJOT andweights,explainsBenja- ing resources is paramount. For minLiewald,EVPProjectsatthis reason, Fracht is investing in AAL Shipping and its parent Schoeller Hold- ety of cargo types and industries that our custom- FrachtNorthAmerica.Cargothe future by establishing a two-ings have never idled for long and 2024 is no dif- ers represent. Could you elaborate? is getting larger every year, asyearapprenticeshipprogram ferent. Earlier this year, AAL christened two SuperGrammare:AALhasdevelopedfromaextremely large modules comeenabling interns to gain certifi-BClassheavyliftvesselsthe AALHamburgmultipurposecarriercarryinginitiallymostlypre-assembled from overseas tocates as logistics professionals.and the AAL Limassolkicking off a string ofbreakbulkandsteelcargoestotransportingbe installed in facilities across eight vessels that will be in service by the end oflargerandheavierprojectcargoesworldwideNorthAmerica.Andascargoe ngIneerIngt raIns2026. AAL, which specializes in breakbulk, proj- withagrowingfleetthatincludesoursecond- becomesheavier,sodoestheRailisakeytoFrachts ect heavy lift, steel, dry bulk and general cargo, isgeneration vessels, the A-Class and the B-Class,equipmentneededtotransportability to move project cargo. It heavily investing in new design features that thegivingusaccessto350-metric-tonnegearcom- the freight.all started in 2014 with a trans-company believes will separate it from competi- binableto700-metric-tonneliftingcapacity. Liewaldseesaginginfra- missionlineproject,shipping tors.AJOT recently had the opportunity to inter- We are very proud of the innovative design, whichstructure as the greatest impedi- 16 heavy lift transformers, each viewChristopheGrammare,AALsmanagingis now already being copied by competitors. Thement to project cargo deliveries.weighing350metrictonsto director, about the state of the industry, challenges,main design enhancements include: Withmorethan40,000U.S.Alberta, Canada. Fracht needed and the companys future. The hull and propulsion have been one of thebridgescategorizedasstruc- 16-axlerailcarstohandlethe AJOT: You said recently the AAL Hamburgmain focuses to ensure the long-term sustainabil- turallydeficientaccordingtoload,butsinceonlytwowere and the AAL Limassol are the realization of aity of the Super B-Class. In an environment wheretheU.S.DepartmentofTrans- availableonthemarketatthe long-term strategy initiated several years ago toalternativefuelsremainscarce,thevesselsareportation 2024 National Bridge(CHALLENGEScontinued on have a highly capable fleet suited to serve the vari- (CHANGEcontinued on page 10) Inventory,Frachtfocusesonpage 8)'