At the heart of the technology on board is ABB’s award-winning power and distribution solution, Onboard DC GridTM. It has played a key role in the vessel’s fuel-saving performance, as part of the complete ABB AbilityTM System 800xA and a 156kWh energy storage system (ESS).
“We are really impressed with the impact that has been made by ABB technology on board, and in particular the Onboard DC GridTM package,” said Lars G Carlsson, Vice President – Offshore Operations, NKT. “This technology has helped us to achieve our vision of a more sustainable and environmentally-friendly future for cable-laying vessels, and our experience over the first year has inspired complete confidence in Onboard DC Grid’s efficiency and reliability.”
Norway-based Salt Ship Design fully expected the vessel to deliver significant fuel savings and emissions reductions. “We are naturally very pleased with the performance of this new vessel design, but we have to pay tribute to the importance of ABB’s technology solutions in optimizing performance and reducing emissions,” says Tor-Henning Vestbostad, Sales Director, Salt Ship Design. “The results we were aiming for in developing NKT Victoria are no longer just theoretical but have been proven by operational experience in the field.”
Conceived, developed and delivered as the result of a close collaboration between NKT, Salt Ship Design and ABB, the 140-meter long, DP3-capable ship is a new generation cable layer featuring many of the solutions enabling ABB’s “Electric. Digital. Connected.” strategy that envisages shipping’s digital and connected future.
Onboard DC GridTM and its associated marine software systems have been designed to increase efficiency by allowing the ship’s engines to work at variable speeds and draw on stored energy for peak load shaving and during dynamic positioning. The main cable laying equipment on board is also fed directly from the DC switchboard and, when braking, energy is fed back into the power system. Power from the ESS is also available during cable loading at the quay, allowing the ship to be emission-free in port or at the cable factory.
The three ABB Azipod® thrusters installed are among 36 vessel components generating over 1,500 signals and a daily 80MB data package for analysis on board, sent on to ABB Ability™ Collaborative Operation Centers for remote vessel performance and diagnostics support. NKT Victoria also benefits from ABB’s Performance Management System and Voyage Advisory System, which help crew optimize energy efficiency decisions in real time.
The vessel has also achieved about 60 percent reduction in CO2 emissions, as well as NOx reductions of 60-80 percent – with the help of the selective catalytic reduction (SCR) system, which converts NOx emissions into water and harmless nitrogen.
Furthermore, when loading cable, a ship-shore power connection means that NKT Victoria consumes no fuel at all, enabling a zero emissions performance during this phase of the vessel’s operations.
