ABB has launched a new digital tool allowing shipowners, operators, and designers to estimate the emission-reduction impact of various ABB technologies used on board ships when compared to alternative solutions.
The Carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) Calculator is applicable to five ABB solutions for the maritime industry, namely Azipod electric propulsion, energy storage, Onboard DC Grid power system platform, shaft generator, and shore connection.
For Azipod propulsion, the CO2e Calculator demonstrates the estimated reductions in CO2e emissions that result from powering a vessel with Azipod propulsors rather than with a traditional shaftline system.
It covers typical scenarios for cruise ships, yachts, ferries, offshore support vessels, and potentially other vessel types with similar operational profiles.
When applied to ABB’s energy storage system, the tool reportedly shows the emissions reductions a vessel can achieve using batteries charged from the shoreside grid in place of a conventional combustion engine running on fossil fuels.
For Onboard DC Grid, it shows the estimated emission-reduction benefit of the solution’s variable-speed function for internal combustion engines compared to a fixed-speed function.
For an ABB shaft generator, the CO2e Calculator estimates how much a shaft generator installed on the main engine shaft can reduce emissions when compared to auxiliary engines driven by the auxiliary generator.
Finally, for ABB shore connection, the tool calculates the estimated reduction in emissions that can be achieved by drawing from the shoreside utility grid instead of generating electric power using onboard generators.
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“ABB has a long history of developing energy-efficient solutions for the maritime industry, and now we can demonstrate the tangible emission-reduction impact of those products to our customers,” said Tommi Lempiäinen, Head of Strategy and Sustainability, ABB Marine & Ports.
“With this level of transparency, shipowners are empowered to make informed decisions on which solutions to invest in – calculated for the specific scenario in question.
“This is a small but nonetheless significant step within the framework of our broader commitment to driving maritime decarbonisation in accordance with the IMO’s net-zero ambitions,” Lempiäinen added.
Earlier this summer, ABB and Hamburger Hafen und Logistik AG (HHLA) partnered to increase efficiency in the long-term operation of big automated stacking crane (ASC) systems.
More recently, the Port of Colombo (POC) enlisted ABB to provide automated stacking cranes to enhance the operational efficiency of its new large terminals.
