In 2017, ABB added Shanghai to its global network of ABB Ability™ Collaborative Operation Centers to support the shipping industry’s journey towards digitalization and ultimately safer, more efficient and more sustainable vessel operations. ABB has provided integrated propulsion systems to a wide range of vessels built in China, with both domestic and global operations. The new Shanghai center allows ABB experts to remotely analyze equipment performance, troubleshoot and diagnose as well as work on maintenance planning and fleet benchmarking. To do so, it uses data gathered by sensors onboard ships and sent ashore by satellite. The center offers real time support in English and Chinese on a 24/7 basis and regardless of the vessel’s location. To achieve this, the center collaborates with other ABB Ability™ Collaborative Operation Centers in Norway, Finland, the Netherlands, Italy, the USA and Singapore. ABB is currently remotely monitoring more than 900 ships.
In addition, ABB will serve the shipbuilding and port construction enterprises in Shanghai with its leading products, systems and solutions in the marine and ports industry. ABB will co-develop digital technologies for ships and smart ports to support Shanghai in becoming an international shipping center.
In a historic deal with Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. (SWS), ABB has been awarded a contract to supply an integrated power and propulsion package, including two Azipod® units. With its proven ability to cut fuel consumption by up to 20% compared to traditional shaft line propulsion systems, Azipod® propulsion has become an industry benchmark for environmentally-friendly cruise technology. The ship’s digital system includes remote diagnostics capabilities, which enable connectivity to ABB AbilityTM Collaborative Operation Centers. The 323-meter vessel, due for delivery in 2023, will be able to accommodate 5,000 passengers.
The SWS vessel will support China’s flourishing cruise market, which is expected to rival that of the United States over the next decade or two, according to the China Cruise and Yacht Industry Association. With the potential of China’s vast consumer market, as well as rapid developments in domestic shipbuilding, the country is expected to generate a significant demand for cruise travel in the next decade and is widely anticipated to become one of the world’s leading cruise nations.
Azipod® propulsion is not new to China: the first Azipod® system was delivered to Chinese ferries over 13 years ago. The three ferries of the Sinorail Bohai Train Ferry fleet complete six daily services of 184 km each, connecting the industrial hubs of Dalian and Yantai. Each ferry can accommodate up to 50 railway freight cars, fifty 20-ton trucks, 25 passenger cars and 400 passengers. The sea crossing takes around six hours, compared to at least 15 hours by road. With the help of ABB’s Azipod® electric propulsion, these ferries were able to reduce fuel consumption by 25 percent compared to a conventional setup. This has allowed these ferries to save about 20,000 tons of fuel over the course of 13 years and contribute to China’s goals of shrinking the country’s carbon footprint.
In 2020, ABB’s Azipod® propulsion will celebrate its 30th anniversary. The system is manufactured in Helsinki, Finland and Shanghai, China.
