ABB’s integrated power and propulsion system for NKT sets new standards for cable layer performance

• Integrated ABB Onboard DC Grid™ power distribution and Azipod® propulsion will optimize the performance of NKT’s new cable layer NKT Eleonora
• The vessel will also be the first to feature a DC system with DNV DynPos AUTRO CB notation for dynamic positioning operations
• The advanced cable layer will benefit from ABB Ability™ digital advisory solutions for enhanced safety, efficiency and availability

ABB has reinforced its longstanding relationship with NKT by securing a contract for the integrated power and propulsion system onboard the owner’s latest highly advanced cable layer. The new order, which includes Onboard DC Grid™ power distribution system, Azipod® electric propulsion and Power and Energy Management System (PEMS™), follows an earlier success for ABB as systems integrator for the 2017-built NKT Victoria. Scheduled to enter operations in 2027, the 176-meter-long new build NKT Eleonora will have a cable-laying capacity of 23,000 metric tons to serve growing demand for subsea cable installation.

ABB’s award-winning Onboard DC Grid™ power distribution system, which enables integration of multiple power sources and allows a vessel’s engines to run at variable speed, will help reduce fuel consumption, contributing to lowering greenhouse gas emissions as a result.

With three 3,500-kilowatt Azipod® units maximizing maneuverability and thrust, and the PEMS™ optimizing total energy use, the combined power and propulsion solution driving NKT Eleonora will also enhance dynamic positioning (DP) performance to support safe and efficient cable-laying operations. This will be the first vessel equipped with a DC system to earn DNV’s DynPos AUTRO CB notation for DP operations.

“We are delighted to be working with ABB again following our successful collaboration on NKT Victoria, which, upon delivery, was the most advanced vessel of its kind worldwide,” said Darren Fennell, Executive Vice President and Head of HV Solutions Karlskrona in NKT “NKT Eleonora will be similarly groundbreaking, and it was only fitting that we sought power, propulsion and advisory solutions that could support the bold operational and sustainability ambitions we have for our latest vessel.”

ABB’s scope of supply to NKT Eleonora also covers several solutions from the ABB Ability™ digital portfolio. They include the ABB Ability™ OCTOPUS – Marine Advisory System, monitoring and forecasting vessel motions, and ABB Ability™ Remote Diagnostic and Condition-Based Maintenance. Connected equipment will also be protected by the ABB Ability™ Cyber Security suite, which is certified according to DNV’s Cyber Secure Essential SP1 class notation.

“ABB is proud to have been chosen to supply such an extensive scope for this advanced cable-laying vessel,” said Rune Braastad, Global Business Line Manager, Marine Systems, ABB Marine & Ports. “The order offers further evidence that our power and propulsion system remains the solution of choice for vessels requiring high levels of energy efficiency, performance, and safety combined with unmatched digital support and advisory services. We look forward to contributing to the realization of this groundbreaking project.”

ABB’s Process Automation business automates, electrifies and digitalizes industrial operations that address a wide range of essential needs – from supplying energy, water and materials, to producing goods and transporting them to market. With its ~20,000 employees, leading technology and service expertise, ABB Process Automation helps customers in process, hybrid and maritime industries improve performance and safety of operations, enabling a more sustainable and resource-efficient future. go.abb/processautomation

ABB is a technology leader in electrification and automation, enabling a more sustainable and resource-efficient future. The company’s solutions connect engineering know-how and software to optimize how things are manufactured, moved, powered and operated. Building on over 140 years of excellence, ABB’s more than 105,000 employees are committed to driving innovations that accelerate industrial transformation. www.abb.com