VIDEO: ABB upgrades Remote Diagnostics capabilities

MARCH 14, 2017 — ABB has upgraded the predictive capabilities of its Remote Diagnostic Service (RDS) for shipping. ABB is a leading advocates of marine industry digitalization and has already launched Integrated Operation Centers in Asia, Europe and the U.S. where data produced by ships is received and monitored.

The upgraded software functionalities will give more power and transparency to shipowners’ shoreside operations ship owners while ABB has stepped up its proactive monitoring of the data and predictive analytics.

ABB is giving shipping companies the opportunity to replicate ABB’s Integrated Operations Centers in their own Operational Centers. The latest version of the ABB RDS software allows shipping companies to deploy their own analytics, or those from a third party where applicable, with greater ease. ABB has further developed its dedicated hardware for the monitoring of large and small rotating machinery with tight integration to the RDS software. The graphical user interface has also been improved to increase user experience and to give identical views of the detailed data both onboard and onshore.

To leverage the data received from vessels, the ABB Digital Service team has been strengthened with more data scientists and architects to promote the search for insight into the health of the monitored assets. The ABB software used as part of the Remote Diagnostic Services combines the capabilities of a dedicated onboard software with a full analytic engine onshore. Due to this modularity and capability, the software can now run the same analytics onboard as onshore.

For shipping companies with limited bandwidth availability or a high number of data points, ABB is deploying leading edge analytics to seamlessly customize the solution and optimize the data transfer.

An internal study found that by taking a proactive approach to the monitoring of equipment through the use of RDS and its software, customers were able to save up to 50% on maintenance costs. There has also been up to a 70% reduction in visits by ABB engineers to vessels bringing a significant decrease in the cost for customers.

“Through our Integrated Operations Solutions and Centers we aim to be connected to 3,000 vessels by 2020,” said Kenneth Nakken, Vice President Digital Services, at ABB’s Marine & Ports business. “We develop all our digital solutions with the customer in mind and we believe our new Predict service will strengthen the shore side operations of all involved.”

ABB is also launching the new mobile application that will allow the user to monitor the health status of connected marine machinery, starting with Azipod® propulsion.