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The cargo shipping industry is the backbone of international trade1, operating more than 50,000 cargo vessels2 with a combined carrying capacity exceeding 2.3 billion deadweight tons3. This massive fleet transports in excess of 80 percent of the world's traded goods by volume. As a cornerstone of the global economy, the industry is undergoing a profound transformation to modernize, decarbonize, and meet the evolving demands of international trade.
The shipping sector is responsible for approximately three percent of global CO₂ emissions. According to the new IMO shipping decarbonization requirements which come into force in 2028, subject to their formal approval in October 2025, shipowners must reduce the greenhouse gas emissions intensity of their ships' fuel by 30 percent by 2035 and 65 percent by 2040.
Geopolitical instability, tariffs and security threats are a constant source of disruption for global trade. Ongoing conflicts and issues at key maritime chokepoints directly impact voyage planning and costs.
The increased reliance on AI and digitalization has created new vulnerabilities as cyberattacks have escalated dramatically between 2017 and today. The IMO now mandates cyber risk integration into Safety Management Systems under the International Safety Management (ISM) Code.
As the cargo shipping sector grapples with these challenges, ABB’s comprehensive technology solutions can help build resilience and competitive advantage, while complying with stringent environmental and security requirements.
By combining this expertise with a worldwide service network ABB supports customers throughout the vessel’s lifetime.
The company's revolutionary AMXE marine motor provides the industry's highest power density for electric and hybrid vessels, featuring water-cooling technology that reduces space, weight, noise, and vibration while supporting the transition to sustainable fleets.
The latest in-line shaft generator from ABB with permanent magnet machines and front-end drive will enable ship operators to benefit from the efficiency, performance and reliability advantages of permanent magnet technology. It brings flexibility and offers hybrid solutions with batteries and shore to ship installations to a wide range of vessels.
As part of a range of digital solutions, the ABB Ability™ Marine Pilot Control revolutionizes vessel operations by consolidating all navigation modes into intuitive joystick and touchscreen interfaces, delivering predictive automation, dynamic positioning, advanced braking assistance, and precision autodocking capabilities that enhance safety.
In October 2024, the European Space Agency (ESA) launched the Decarbonization through Digitalization in Shipping (DECARDIS) project, together with ABB, Awake.AI and Wallenius Marine, to focus on helping ships cut greenhouse gas emissions by overcoming inefficiencies in the ship-port interaction.
ABB Ability™ OCTOPUS - Marine Advisory System is a unique product family for performance management in marine operations. Through various deployment methods, fuel consumption and emissions are able to be reduced by guiding crew decisions quickly.
ABB Ability™ Marine Cyber Security delivers end-to-end protection through comprehensive risk assessment frameworks, real-time threat monitoring, and incident response protocols specifically designed for maritime environments.
In a major step towards more efficient offshore operations, Samsung Heavy Industries Co. Ltd. (SHI) and ABB have signed an agreement to equip a fleet of shuttle tankers with ABB’s Onboard DC Grid™ power system platform.
Sanmar Shipyards' ElectRA tugs use ABB's liquid-cooled ACS880 drives to achieve zero emissions and eliminate 5,000 tonnes CO₂ annually across three vessels – equivalent to removing 1,000 cars from roads.
ABB partnered with Seafjord Energy to develop an e-bunker vessel concept featuring ABB Dynafin™ propulsion and Onboard DC Grid™ systems, that can be charged through a shore connection or draw energy directly from a wind farm, utilizing ABB’s charging system. The e-bunker ship will charge other ships at sea, delivering up to 50 megawatts of power.
ABB's shaft generator systems on ten COSCO container vessels deliver 17 percent better fuel economy and a 20 percent footprint reduction while ensuring EEXI and CII compliance.