Digitalisation and electrification: key ingredients for decarbonisation

A collaboration with Wallenius Marine established what Mr Koskela describes as a “fleet operation service centre as a service.” ABB’s Oversea Fleet Support Centre service combines fleet management expertise with advanced analytics to underpin improvements in operational decisions and enable performance gains for ships.

To support the service, Mr Koskela says ABB has established a fleet operations centre in Stockholm staffed by master mariners and chief engineers from Wallenius, underpinned by digital connectivity to any vessel. “We can provide data insights and efficiency improvements by means of digital tools, with support from the shore side,” he says. The service was developed to support the thousands of ships controlled by small- and medium-sized owners that do not have their own operations centres.

Danish tanker operator Tärntank is the first to trial Oversea, exploring opportunities for improving the operational performance of a fleet of six tankers. The trial covers the performance of onboard equipment, as well as forecasting and monitoring of their Carbon Intensity Indicator (CII). The trial includes shore-based support.

“Initial trials will focus on Oversea capabilities covering the main engine, hull and propeller, auxiliaries and CII operational performance support for six 15,000-dwt products/chemical tankers,” says Tärntank Ship Management AB chief executive, Claes Möller. 

Vessel electrification projects

Well established in supporting electrification and battery-hybrid vessel projects globally, Mr Koskela says ABB Marine & Ports has been making steady in roads in the US. Under one of its latest contracts, ABB was selected by the Maine Department of Transportation (MDOT) to supply a hybrid-electric propulsion system and energy storage system (ESS) for a new hybrid-electric passenger vehicle.

“We can provide data insights and efficiency improvements by means of digital tools”

The new MDOT ferry will have an ABB Onboard DC Grid power distribution system that supports diesel-electric and zero-emissions battery-powered modes, as well as a combination of both, and the ABB Ability Marine Remote Diagnostic System will enable the monitoring of onboard systems to maximise vessel uptime.
The newbuild 200-passenger and 40-vehicle ferry will replace a 35-year-old, diesel-powered vessel that operates on a 5-km route between the coastal Maine town of Lincolnsville and Islesboro.
By replacing the 35-year-old Margaret Chase Smith, the new hybrid-electric vessel will cut fuel consumption by an estimated 379,000 litres per year, equivalent to around 1,100 tons in CO2 emissions. The new ferry is seen as advancing the Maine Clean Transportation Roadmap, which targets carbon neutrality by 2045.
This new contract follows on the heels of ABB’s supply of a hybrid power and propulsion system with shore-charging capability for a 50-m double-ended passenger ferry serving the Portland – Peaks Island route. Due to enter service for operator Casco Bay Lines in 2024, the vessel promises an estimated 800-ton reduction in annual CO2 emissions.

Among its other US passenger vessel contracts is one for a fleet electrification project for the largest ferry operator in the country, Washington State Ferries, and another serving as systems integrator for the power and propulsion package for Maid of the Mist, the nation’s first fully electric tour boat.

In mid-November, ABB announced it had won an order from Washington State boatbuilder All-American Marine to supply a hybrid-electric propulsion system for a new 19.2-m ocean sampling catamaran for the Orange County Sanitation District in California. In addition to the comprehensive scope of technologies, All American Marine will draw on ABB’s experience in the supply, engineering, and systems integration of hybrid-electric vessels. The vessel is expected to be delivered in 2027.
The vessel will be built to meet California Air Resources Board (CARB) annual equivalence requirements for Zero-Emission Capable Hybrid Vessels which mandate that at least 30% of total annual power must come from zero-emissions power sources.

This follows in the wake of another first in the US, the all-electric harbour tug, eWolf, built by Crowley to serve the Port of San Diego. Built by at Master Boat Builders in Alabama, the vessel can achieve 70 short tons of bollard pull with a zero-emissions propulsion system from ABB, including a 6.2-MWh ESS.