By
Rebecca Gibson |
ABB’s Azipod makes the company a leader in the high-end electrical propulsion market, but the company also delivers electrical systems for both diesel-electric vessels and ships with traditional propulsion. This means that a large part of the ocean-going fleet already carries mission-critical ABB equipment. In addition to these systems, ABB delivers various control and software products that assure safe and efficient propulsion and electrical system operation and facilitate maintenance and troubleshooting.
On many of the newer ships, modern drives, protection relays and motors offer rich sources of data that can be integrated with other information like speed, wind, waves and the weather forecast to optimise a vessel’s operation and save energy. If the ship’s computer system is not one delivered by ABB, as is often the case, this valuable resource can go unexploited.
Online communication via satellite is now common and vessels are able to report their technical and operational status to headquarters. This gives the ship owner the ability to elevate planning, monitoring and vessel comparison to a new level. Satellite communication can allow ABB to log on to the ship, inspect the status of equipment and help the crew when expert advice is needed. This saves travelling time and expense and increases equipment reliability.
ABB’s new centre of excellence, Vessel Information and Control, will build a complete product and solution portfolio for these application areas, based on a smart integration of the existing products and development of new software products. These will seamlessly connect solutions from the ship’s sensors all the way up to the owner’s boardroom.
A primary benefit arising from these new products, and smart integration, is a reduction in energy usage. Fuel accounts for between 30 and 40 percent of the cost of running a cruise ship. The amount of energy used for propulsion is influenced by the wind, waves, sea currents, trim and degree of hull fouling. ABB’s new EMMA software is now able to take these effects into account and inform a vessel’s owners and operators where every last drop of ship fuel is consumed, and how efficiently it is consumed. Most importantly, this knowledge creates an awareness of a ship’s energy consumption processes and enables benchmarks to be set and best practices to be targeted.
ABB is constantly developing this portfolio, not only through R&D but also through acquisitions of best-in-class advisory system providers. ABB’s recently announced intention to acquire Dutch based company Amarcon will increase the range of motion optimisation and other tools in its Advisory Systems portfolio. Finland-based Viking Line, for instance, has selected ABB’s EMMA for a new ultra-energy-efficient passenger vessel that will have almost zero greenhouse gas emissions.
“One of the top priorities at Viking Line is to lower the emissions and fuel consumption of our fleet,” says Kari Granberg, project manager at Viking Line. “We were looking for a good monitoring tool that automatically regulates power consumption and is as easy to operate as a traffic light. As a result ABB’s EMMA became our first choice.”