Founded in 1980, SAL has emerged to one of the leading heavy lift carriers in the world. In 2007, SAL entered a 50/50 joint venture with the Japanese “Kö Line group. The company’s main office is located in Steinkirchen just outside of Hamburg, Germany. In addition, SAL has developed an extensive international network of agencies and subsidiary offices in Japan, China, Great Britain, Italy and Australia. Including the crew onboard the vessels, SAL today employees a team of more than 500.
The SAL fleet currently encompasses 14 modern heavy lift vessels with a high service speed of 20 knots each featuring its own on-board cranes. The types of cargoes transported range from heavy machinery, floating cargo, windmills, (power) plant equipment to cranes and (offshore) oil and gas equipment. As of 2008, a comprehensive new building program has been launched. In 2008 and 2009, four vessels with a combined crane capacity of 1400 mt SWL have been delivered. Despite the global financial crisis which has also effected the heavy lift sector SAL decided to further invest in innovative shipbuilding. Therefore, two more new buildings have been ordered with delivery dates in 2010 and 2011. These vessels will maintain the unrivalled speed of 20 knots and will be equipped with two cranes of 1,000 mtons SWL each. The unprecedented lifting capacity of 2,000 mtons SWL, their crane outreach of 38 m as well as their ability to trade with an open hatch make these vessels an important asset in the heavy lift market. The new buildings will further pursue SAL’s dedication to a safe and environmentally friendly setting on board. All recent and upcoming new buildings are equipped with an “environmental passportö which certifies that they comply with the highest environmental protection specifications. In addition, the ships are certified in accordance with ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001. These technical and ecological preconditions ensure that the vessels are prepared for employment in future markets which include offshore windparks, offshore oil and gas industries and industrial plants. Besides the technological hardware, SAL also places a heavy emphasis on the development of its staff both onshore and on board the vessels. In the main office, SAL’s clients are served not only by commercial and operational specialists but also by a professional engineering team in charge of developing innovative and custom-made transportation solutions. SAL’s own crewing agency in Manila is responsible for careful recruitment and continuous training of qualified crew.