New “silo-busting” ABB software promises to help ships improve efficiency, cut fuel consumption

Image: ABB

Though digital technologies promise to help shipowners increase operational efficiency and sustainability and meet environmental regulations, a persistent challenge has been the tendency to gather and process data on a system-by-system basis, rather than analyzing interdependent operations.

Feeding datasets into disconnected “silos” limits meaningful analytics capability, burying potential efficiency gains in an ocean of data.

ABB aims to change that.

The ABB Ability Genix Industrial Analytics and AI Suite is now available for shipping companies. It is a scalable advanced analytics platform that collects operational, engineering and information technology data from onboard equipment and converts it into actionable insights that help shipowners improve operational efficiency, safety and sustainability. The solution opens the way to analyze the relationships between processes and events, using embedded fusion hubs, machine learning and advanced analytical components to map out a far richer picture of what is really taking place on a vessel or across a fleet.

ABB estimates that deeper insights into a vessel’s operational data, amplified by AI and analytics enabled by ABB Ability Genix, can result in up to 10% fuel reduction, cutting costs and emissions as a result. Additionally, says ABB, maintenance savings utilizing condition-based monitoring and early identification of potential malfunctions improve vessel uptime and reduces essential service visits to vessels by as much as 30%.

With shipping accounting for up to 3% of the world’s total greenhouse gas emissions, the marine industry is under regulatory pressure to halve its carbon footprint by 2050.

SCALABLE PLATFORM

“ABB is now offering the marine industry a scalable platform that is flexible enough to meet today’s needs cost effectively, and robust enough to support tomorrow’s ambitions,” said Jyri Jusslin, Head of Global Service, ABB Marine & Ports. “Whether the goal is to save fuel and cut emissions, enhance vessel uptime or to improve a company’s financial performance, all digitalization projects benefit from the most extensive monitoring and measurement. Exploiting digital analytics to its full potential relies on comprehensive data.”

With ABB Ability Genix, marine customers can subscribe to a variety of analytics on demand. This makes the solution suited both to shipowners taking their first digital steps as well as those already well advanced in digitalization and looking to develop a more holistic approach to vessel management.

“ABB Ability Genix allows leveraging the power of data integration that can be customized to a client’s fleet or vessel performance needs,” said Antto Shemeikka, Head of Digital Services, ABB Marine & Ports. “The platform pools large varieties of data from shipboard systems, such as maintenance systems and third-party equipment, to deliver greater data fusion than has ever been possible.”