ABB's Flagship Lineup Debuts at Marintec China 2025

Pioneering Digital Intelligence, Driving Shipping Decarbonization

Hailed as the "global barometer of the maritime industry," Marintec China 2025 is set to be held in Shanghai from December 2 to 5, with the theme "Innovation and Cooperation for Sustainable Maritime Development." ABB will showcase a range of electrification, automation, and intelligent products and solutions tailored for the maritime sector at Booth A, Hall N1 of the Shanghai New International Expo Center.

As the backbone of global trade, the shipping industry carries approximately 90% of international cargo volume, accounting for around 3% of global greenhouse gas emissions. With the International Maritime Organization (IMO) continuously tightening decarbonization regulations, the green transition of global shipping has become an irreversible trend. The industry is rapidly converging on a consensus: deep integration of digital and intelligent technologies with the shipping sector, accelerated adoption of clean energy, and continuous improvement of ship energy efficiency are the key pathways to balancing safety, efficiency, and emission reduction goals—reshaping the future of the global shipping industry.

ABB boasts profound technical heritage in the maritime field. Since the 1950s, its predecessor companies have supplied motors and propulsion systems for ships; in the 1970s, it pioneered the application of AC variable frequency drive technology in marine scenarios; in the 1980s, it innovatively developed electric propulsion systems, driving the advancement of modern ship electrification and automation. In recent years, ABB has set a clear course in the shipping sector: driving a green future through an efficiency revolution, focusing on ship electrification, automation, and digital solutions to accelerate industry-wide efficiency improvements and decarbonization.

At this year's maritime exhibition, ABB's Process Automation Division (Marine & Ports Business Unit, Mechanical Automation Business Unit), Motion Control Division, and Electrification Division will jointly participate, presenting an innovative product matrix for the industry. The exhibition will multi-dimensionally demonstrate ABB's end-to-end solutions "from bridge to propeller" and "from clean energy to intelligent control," showcasing its cutting-edge technologies and practical achievements in enhancing ship energy efficiency, reducing carbon emissions, intelligent control, and remote operation and maintenance.

Leapfrog in Ship Energy Efficiency

ABB Permanent Magnet Shaft Generator + ACS880 Frequency Converter

ABB's full-range solutions for motors, generators, and drive systems strongly support the shipping industry's transition from low-carbon to zero-carbon operations. Among them, the ABB permanent magnet shaft generator system effectively utilizes the main engine's power reserve to improve operational efficiency, offering superior fuel economy compared to solutions powered by auxiliary engines, enabling ship operators to significantly enhance fuel efficiency. According to ABB's calculations, the permanent magnet shaft generator technology can reduce fuel costs by up to 4% compared to traditional solutions.

When paired with ABB's advanced ACS880 frequency converter and Direct Torque Control (DTC) system, the solution further enhances the flexibility and functionality of hybrid applications, increasing fuel efficiency by an additional 1%. The ABB ACS880 frequency converter is widely used in various marine and offshore applications such as electric propulsion, shaft generator systems, waste heat recovery, energy storage, and scrubbers. Featuring a compact modular design, self-diagnostic capabilities, and a rugged construction philosophy, it maintains high reliability and outstanding performance in harsh environments, empowering ships to achieve intelligent and green operations.

Azipod® Podded Electric Propulsor

Since its launch over 30 years ago, ABB's pioneering Azipod® podded electric propulsion system has become an industry benchmark for high-end research vessels, ferries, and offshore vessels. By housing the motor in an underwater pod outside the ship hull, the system offers 360-degree rotation, significantly improving ship maneuverability, hydrodynamic efficiency, and operational economy. It reduces fuel consumption by 20% compared to traditional shaftline systems while drastically lowering noise and vibration. Its innovative hybrid cooling system boosts motor performance by 45%, and it supports power supply from diverse energy sources such as batteries and fuel cells, ensuring future-ready energy compatibility.

In 2011, in response to the rapidly growing demand in China and the Asia-Pacific market, ABB established an Azipod® podded propulsor factory in Shanghai. To date, it has delivered over 250 compact Azipod® units to domestic and international customers.

Dynafin™ Contra-Rotating Propulsor

The ABB Dynafin™ contra-rotating propulsor is a revolutionary propulsion system inspired by the bionic motion of whale tails, significantly enhancing ship energy efficiency and maneuverability. Driven by a single main motor, the system features a large horizontal rotor with multiple vertical blades around its perimeter, each controlled by an independent motor to achieve efficient compound motion during propulsion and steering—optimizing propulsion efficiency and control precision. Professional tests show that the ABB Dynafin™ achieves an open-water efficiency of up to 81% at 18 knots. When applied to passenger ships, it can reduce propulsion energy consumption by 22% compared to traditional propulsion systems, drastically cutting fuel usage and helping the shipping industry address decarbonization challenges.

Solid-State Circuit Breaker

The SACE Infinitus solid-state circuit breaker is ABB's world-first solid-state circuit breaker compliant with IEC 60947-2 standards, enabling safe and energy-efficient DC power systems. Certified by DNV for low-voltage marine applications, it helps shipyards, design firms, and switchgear manufacturers leverage the advantages of DC power distribution and electrification. Utilizing unique semiconductor technology, it detects and responds to short-circuit faults 1,000 times faster than traditional mechanical circuit breakers, with a response time of less than 20 microseconds, enabling near-instantaneous short-circuit current interruption. Its integrated design combines protection, switching/load control, electrical isolation, monitoring/metering, and communication functions, ensuring safety while simplifying DC power distribution systems efficiently.

Intelligent Operation & Control

DP2 Dynamic Positioning Control Solution

The new ABB DP2 control system is an advanced, intuitive, and user-friendly tool that presents all critical information to operators in a concise and modern manner. Leveraging DP operator feedback, incident log analysis, and model-based control algorithms, the system fully meets all performance expectations and delivers comprehensive control capabilities across all operational phases. It not only significantly enhances operational safety in complex sea conditions but also empowers operators to make data-driven decisions, improving operational decision-making.

AC500 PLC: The "Intelligent Control Expert" for Ships

The ABB AC500 PLC is an intelligent "control expert" in the field of ship and port automation, offering high reliability, modular design, and flexible expandability to easily handle complex operating conditions. Certified by major global classification societies and compliant with IEC 61131-3 standards, it supports multiple communication protocols and is widely used in critical scenarios such as propulsion control, cabin management, power monitoring, ballast systems, and shore power connections—making it the ideal choice for shipowners seeking intelligent control.

B&R X20 PLC

The X20 PLC and industrial PCs from ABB B&R meet the certifications of major global classification societies, with products and development processes compliant with information security standards. Equipped with high performance, open high-level language programming, and professional modules for high-precision power sampling and vibration analysis, B&R provides intelligent control and operation management for key marine equipment such as electric propulsion systems, clean fuel engine sets, shaft generators, all-electric ship control, ballast water management, and port gantry cranes. In numerous fields including large container ships, inland waterway shipping, luxury cruise ships, and terminals, B&R's control systems deliver clean, safe, and intelligent operational support.

AI-Powered Smart Maintenance

AI-Enabled Marine Application Design

ABB B&R has launched AI-based productized applications—the M-Series intelligent solutions, including two core applications: MHelp and MDoctor. MHelp is an AI product designed based on large language models, deeply customized and trained for marine applications. It enables rapid fault analysis and localization, provides operational problem reasoning and decision support, and significantly improves maintenance response efficiency. MDoctor is a predictive maintenance system based on machine learning. By continuously monitoring vibration data of key equipment, it achieves anomaly early warning, fault diagnosis, disposal plan delivery, and automatic report generation, facilitating the maintenance upgrade from "reactive repair" to "proactive prevention."

Motion Control Planned Services

ABB Motion Control Planned Services provide a "safety net" for equipment operation, integrating preventive maintenance and overhaul services to help customers reduce maintenance costs, extend equipment lifespan, and ensure efficient and reliable system operation.

In addition to the comprehensive display of innovative products and solutions, the exhibition booth will feature an immersive sand table interactive experience area, where visitors can operate through touch screens to intuitively understand ABB's diversified marine application scenarios. Meanwhile, the booth will host multiple professional technical lectures focusing on hot topics such as marine frequency converter applications, frequency converter cybersecurity, and shaft generator & frequency converter products. ABB technical experts will share cutting-edge practices, exchange technical experience, and explore the future of green and intelligent shipping.

ABB and Marintec China

With over 40 years of serving the maritime industry, Marintec China has become one of the world's most influential maritime exhibitions. As a technology leader in electrification, automation, and digital solutions for the marine and offshore industry, ABB has continuously participated deeply in this industry event over the years, using it as a key platform to showcase cutting-edge technologies, deepen cooperation with Chinese and global customers, and jointly drive the innovative development of green and intelligent shipping.

ABB is a global technology leader in electrification and automation, committed to enabling a more sustainable and efficient future. By integrating engineering experience with digital technologies, ABB helps industries operate efficiently, improve energy and production efficiency, promote sustainable development, and achieve excellence through integrity and expertise. With a history of over 140 years, ABB employs approximately 110,000 people worldwide and is listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange (ABBN) and Nasdaq Stockholm (ABB).