ABB Launches Marine Fuel Efficiency Program

ABB introduce several software 'Advisory Systems' for the marine market to help all types of ocean vessels dramatically reduce fuel consumption.

These Advisory Systems include the latest versions of ABB’s energy management system for marine applications (EMMA) and Amarcon’s Octopus solution and ABB say that Integrated advanced software, electrical systems and Azipod® propulsion can help ship owners slash fuel consumption by up to 20%.

With the recent acquisition of Amarcon, ABB is now able to provide a vertically integrated power and automation set of solutions that will help ship-owners increase productivity and safety of vessel operation while minimizing fuel consumption and environmental impacts.

For the first time in history, the daily operational costs of a vessel have surpassed its daily building costs. Fuel consumption is becoming the highest operational expenditure for each and every vessel of the global fleet, and one of the biggest environmental concerns. Fuel accounts for between 30-40 percent of the cost of running a cruise ship and between 50-60 percent for most merchant vessels. Reducing fuel consumption by just 1 percent can mean an annual saving of $50,000 for a mid-sized bulk carrier and $300,000 a year for a large container ship. In a world where fuel savings have become a requirement for ship operators, a vessel with an integrated power, automation and advisory system that can help slash its fuel consumption by up to 20% represents a substantial competitive advantage.



ABB’s new ship advisory and automation systems suite incorporate a full range of vessel information and control technology that allows ship operators to monitor and calculate the optimum utilization of power on-board.

“By aggregating Amarcon systems into ABB’s solutions, we are now able to provide the widest portfolio of optimization tools available on the market,” says Heikki Soljama, Head of business unit Marine and Cranes. “With these solutions, we are better equipped to help ship operators reduce fuel consumption efficiently and provide added-value technology to all ship owners.