While the voting procedure for the 2019 SAFETY4SEA Awards is open, Ed Schwarz, ABB Marine & Ports Vice President Sales, New Build reveals how ABB – which has been shortlisted for the Sustainability Award – prepares for a more sustainable future, highlighting that the next generation of ships will be electric digital and connected, as the industry moves towards new energy sources.
SAFETY4SEA: Your organization has been shortlisted for the 2019 SAFETY4SEA Awards in the ‘Sustainability’ category alongside a number of other distinguished nominees. What would you like to share with industry’s stakeholders with respect to this development?
Ed Schwarz: ABB Marine & Ports is transforming the industry through electrical, digital and connected solutions. ABB’s innovative technologies are redefining the future, bringing new levels of reliability, efficiency and sustainability to shipping and making our ports and terminals safer, greener and more productive. We believe Electric, Digital and Connected will be the obvious choices for ship owners as the industry moves towards new energy sources and increasingly automated operations.
S4S: When it comes to tackling the shipping challenges with respect to sustainable shipping, what are the core priorities on your agenda?
E.S.: In order to tackle many of the shipping challenges with respect to sustainability we believe that the next generation of ships will be electric digital and connected, as the industry moves towards new energy sources.
S4S: What is your organization doing differently in order to prepare for a more sustainable future?
E.S.: ABB Marine & Ports is looking to both the short and long term developments to meet a more sustainable future. ABB works continuously with its partners to research and develop tomorrow’s power solutions for marine applications, applying a variety of power storage solutions to give shipbuilders, owners and operators unprecedented flexibility when building and operating vessels. A hybrid ship describes a ship where a variety of energy sources and generators are leveraged and mixed to create the most efficient power production available. Batteries, fuel cells, capacitor banks, gas turbines, diesel generators and other energy sources can be connected to the same onboard grid, providing an unprecedented flexibility in the ship’s operations.
S4S: Do you have any new projects on the pipeline and/or plans that you would like to share with the rest of the industry?
E.S.: Globally we are at the dawn of an explosive green revolution in the transportation industry. This includes the maritime industry- which is already the greenest method of shipping. ABB zero-emission technology will power the next-generation, fully electric ferries on the iconic Maid of the Mist tour at the Niagara Falls. The two new vessels will be powered solely by high-capacity battery packs, making them the first purely electrically powered vessels built in the United States but not the last. We are talking to many owners all over the world; we expect hear of more zero emission vessels this year!
S4S: If you could change one thing about the shipping industry, what would it be and why?
E.S.: We are excited to see the shift in perception of the Maritime Industry as being too traditional/old fashion to one that is leading in the green revolution.
You may cast your vote for ABB at 2019 SAFETY4SEA Awards dedicated webpage till 6th of September 2019!
The views presented hereabove are only those of the author and not necessarily those of SAFETY4SEA and are for information sharing and discussion purposes only.
