AAL & Peter D?hle Launches Global Cooperation

AAL & Peter Döhle, two highly regarded multipurpose operators and boasting a combined breakbulk, heavy lift and project shipping expertise of over 80 years, have today announced the launch of a new global cooperation. From June onwards, they will share their experience, resources and hardware across the world, to offer joint tramp & project services and solutions to the global market in an aim to deliver even higher levels of efficiency, care and competitive advantage to their customers.

The two carriers remain independent of each other, with separate ownership, operations and identities. However, across a number of key trade routes between Asia, Europe and the Americas, they will deploy and jointly represent the market’s youngest fleet of 26 multi-purpose heavy-lift vessels and provide tailor-made tramp and project solutions to major industry sectors.  

Kyriacos Panayides, Managing Director of AAL commented, “With Peter Döhle, we share those synergies that are crucial ingredients in building a long and mutually beneficial relationship, namely: our shared multipurpose sector expertise; our aligned ethics & culture; our service philosophy and our ambition for the sustainable growth & success of our respective organizations. 

“We will combine our resources, teams and hardware to create a dynamic and competitive presence in the global multipurpose market, enabling us to not only meet the needs of our growing customer base, but to also become the preferred carrier for major new projects.”

Christoph Döhle, CEO of Peter Döhle Schiffahrts-KG, added, “We are delighted to combine our tramp & project cargo resources with AAL. Both fleets of multi-purpose heavy lift vessels perfectly complement each other and our proposed fleet mix of seven classes of large and small tonnage will deliver highly flexible, sustainable and efficient benefits for our customers and their projects.”

AAL & Peter Döhle will share operational responsibilities, with AAL handling operations East of Suez and in the Americas and Peter Döhle overseeing activity in Europe and Africa.  Their combined fleet of owned and chartered-in tonnage features seven modern and highly diverse classes of multipurpose heavy lift vessels – ranging from 12,000, to 31,000 dwt - offering optimal lift and stowage space and the highest levels of equipment specification. 

“We look forward to a close and highly efficient long term cooperation, for the benefit of both our worldwide customers and our partners. With offices and staff located in strategic positions along key global trades, we will not only provide a seamless overall network - from compass point to compass point - but also a local and time zone friendly service, that will hugely benefit the quality and level of communication and transparency with our customers.” said John Jensen, General Manager of Peter Döhle Schiffahrts-KG.

AAL’s Tramp & Projects Division Managing Director, Namir Khanbabi concluded, “This cooperation builds upon the functional and geographical strengths of each party and we find ourselves with the enviable prospect that the whole is now greater than the sum of the parts. 

"In a market where competition has been consolidated into larger operating entities, we and our customers stand to benefit immensely from economies of scale, a far greater reach within the market place and no risk of losing individual customer focus – something that is central to our corporate philosophy."

AAL & Peter Döhle will be jointly exhibiting at the Breakbulk Europe Expo 2015 taking place in Antwerp between 20-21 May 2015, on stand no. 503H4 (Hall 4).