ABB Wins Energy Management Systems Order for Baleària Ferry

ZURICH (March 17, 2014) – ABB has won an order from Spanish ferry operator Baleària to supply energy management systems for one of its largest vessels. ABB’s advisory software will be installed onboard the ferry Martin i Soler, with an option to extend the project to two further vessels in the Baleària fleet. The package supplied is part of ABB’s energy management solution package EMMA Advisory Suite of software. The EMMA Advisory Suite is a decision-support tool to minimize the overall energy costs for individual vessels and entire fleets. Baleària’s installation will cover dynamic trim optimization and hull condition monitoring. The package will help the vessel operator to optimize required propulsive power and forecast hull and propeller fouling, with both contributing to reduced fuel consumption. By reducing fuel consumption, ABB will also help Baleària to reduce the vessel’s environmental emissions. ABB’s trim optimization system dynamically measures actual trim and advises the crew on steering adjustments via displays. All data generated onboard is transferred to a cloud-based application for vessel benchmarking. This can provide management onshore with full visibility of energy consumption across the entire fleet. “Baleària and ABB are expecting over 2 percent savings in propulsion power used at sea through the installation of the trim optimization system and hull monitoring, which will have the same impact in the fuel consumption and consequently reduce emissions,” says Mr. Guillermo Alomar, Baleària’s, Fleet Manager. Baleària operates ferries connecting the four Balearic Islands to mainland Spain, as well as providing daily inter-island sailings. The company also operates in the Strait of Gibraltar and between the U.S. and the Bahamas. Baleària’s business focuses on the regular maritime transport of passengers and cargo. The company currently has 17 vessels in service. “ABB is committed to the development of cutting-edge technology that will help ship operators with the challenge they face today, and we are confident that ABB’s energy management systems will help Baleària to optimize vessel operations while improve the energy efficiency.” said Heikki Soljama, head of ABB’s Marine and Cranes Business Unit. ABB provides power and automation technologies that enable utility and industry customers to improve performance while lowering environmental impact.