PREDICT MOTION AND PROTECT PERFORMANCE

ABB's Ability OCTOPUS Marine Advisory System offers vessel performance monitoring platforms that can support crews to reduce fuel consumption and emissions, as well as measure and protect the safety and availability of the ship. With ship motion forecasting, shoreside specialists can benefit from fleet visibility through secure data transfer for broader analysis resulting in optimized vessel operation and strategy.

NEW MODULE RELEASED: OPERATIONAL PLANNER

The ABB Ability™ OCTOPUS - Marine Advisory System - Operational Planner increases the safety and workability of offshore vessels by enabling crews and onshore specialists to plan the operation stages of the vessel based on ship motion forecasting and acceptable vessel responses. This leads to greater safety for the vessel and crew, as well as improved uptime, contributing to a more sustainable operating profile. The map-based software decision support tool can be operated from both on the vessel and at the clients' offices for ultimate flexibility and transparency. The tool involves continuous assessment of risks and opportunities during offshore operations, providing real-time adaptation to changing conditions. When a project is planned, the marine advisory system requests the weather and calculates vessel responses based on the latest weather forecast. When using the system, the operational limits are defined for the vessel using specific locations and set limits, such as gangway base motions and accelerations, working deck angles and the comfort level of crew locations.

MODULES

Our ABB Ability™ OCTOPUS - Marine Advisory System has a variety of modules available 
to optimize your vessel and voyage.

Safety & availability

Response Forecast

The Response Forecast module provides a forecast for motions, velocities and accelerations for a vessel. It facilitates the crew to take the vessel responses into account when planning (and making changes to) the route. The forecast also offers accurate insight into the impact of the weather on the vessel and her cargo giving the possibility to the crew to make decisions at an earlier stage, leading to saved fuel and time.

The Response Forecast module provides a forecast for motions, velocities and accelerations for a vessel.

Motion monitoring

OCTOPUS Motion Monitoring with a single sensor setup (MMS-1) provides measurement of motions, velocities and accelerations on the vessel. The system is included with alarm management for real-time and statistical values. By transferring this data to the Fleet Portal for onshore insight, critical situations or accidents can be analyzed, leading to increased understanding of vessel limitations and prevention of situations where the vessel and her cargo are at risk. With the Advanced Motion monitoring set-up a large number of different locations on the vessel and cargo can be monitored simultaneously.

OCTOPUS Motion Monitoring with a single sensor setup (MMS-1) provides measurement of motions, velocities and accelerations on the vessel.

Dynamic Positioning Forecast

For vessels equipped with a Dynamic Positioning system, ABB's DP Forecast software includes a prediction if the vessel is capable to maintain her DP position during an operation. This leads to maximized workability, less fuel consumption and more productive hours during operations where the DP system is used. The DP software calculates an onboard forecast of the mean and slowly varying forces acting on the vessel due to currents, wind and waves.

For vessels equipped with a Dynamic Positioning system, ABB's DP Forecast software includes a prediction if the vessel is capable to maintain her DP position during an operation. This leads to maximized workability, less fuel consumption and more productive hours during operations where the DP system is used. The DP software calculates an onboard forecast of the mean and slowly varying forces acting on the vessel due to currents, wind and waves.

Energy efficiency

Performance Monitoring

The Performance Monitoring module is the key module for OCTOPUS to provide onboard performance data. It provides data collection and visualization for a set of signals to help monitoring the vessels operations, i.e. daily operational costs and to work as a supporting tool for the Ship Energy Efficient Management Plan (SEEMP). The system collects the most important data from propulsion, the vessel fuel consumption and main navigational variables, and the data is sent to ABB Ability™ Marine Fleet Portal. The module can easily be upgraded to monitor a larger amount of signals and to display advanced key performance indicators.

The Performance Monitoring module is the key module for OCTOPUS to provide onboard performance data.

Dynamic Trim

This solution advises the operating crew on the vessel's optimum trim in all operating conditions (including variations in conditions such as speed, draft, water depth, wind and waves). Depending on the vessel type and operational profile, the savings potential can be up to 5% of propulsion energy costs.

This solution advises the operating crew on the vessel's optimum trim in all operating conditions.

Power Plant Optimization

The Power Plant Optimizer advices the user on how to operate the power plant in the optimal way in order to save fuel. The system monitors the status and load of each engine. In addition to displaying the required power demand, the Power Plant Optimizer provides the user instructions on when to start and stop engines and how to balance the load in the most efficient way.

The Power Plant Optimizer advices the user on how to operate the power plant in the optimal way in order to save fuel. The system monitors the status and load of each engine. In addition to displaying the required power demand, the Power Plant Optimizer provides the user instructions on when to start and stop engines and how to balance the load in the most efficient way.

Energy Flow

The Energy Flow Diagram module visualizes the energy flow of the entire vessel. It helps in understanding the different energy producing and consuming processes and their current operation and how they are connected to each other.

The Energy Flow Diagram module visualizes the energy flow of the entire vessel.

ABB FLEET PORTAL

The ABB Ability™ Marine Fleet Portal provides onshore stakeholders access to individual and fleetwide vessel data which is coming from the onboard OCTOPUS system.

OCTOPUS OFFICE

Designed for shoreside teams, ABB Ability OCTOPUS Office delivers ship motion forecasting, vessel performance monitoring and fleet-wide operational insight, supporting safer, more efficient maritime operations. ABB Ability OCTOPUS Office is an industry-proven marine advisory system that supports vessel performance analysis, ship motion forecasting and operational planning for a wide range of vessel types and offshore activities. By combining hydrodynamic models, environmental data and vessel-specific inputs, OCTOPUS Office enables accurate assessment of ship motions, cargo safety and operational limits, with or without forward speed. The result is improved decision support, reduced operational risk and enhanced fleet performance monitoring for shoreside teams.

  1. OCTOPUS Office Basics

    • Creation of 2D and 3D vessel hull models for hydrodynamic analysis
    • Development of hydrodynamic databases supporting vessel motion forecasting
    • Definition of loading conditions and operational scenarios
    • Calculation of Response Amplitude Operators (RAOs) based on 2D/3D hydrodynamics
    • Stochastic linearization to analyse vessel behaviour across unlimited sea states

    Built to support marine advisory workflows, OCTOPUS Office Basics provides the technical foundation for accurate ship motion prediction and safety assessment.

  2. OCTOPUS Office Statistics

    • Creation and analysis of sea states for operational planning
    • Generation of scatter diagrams for environmental and motion analysis
    • Calculation of spectral moments based on sea states and scatter data
    • Evaluation of short and long-term vessel performance statistics

    These capabilities enable deeper insight into vessel performance, motion behaviour and operational risk, supporting data-driven decisions across fleets.

  3. Benefits

    Using the 2D or 3D ship hydrodynamics, ABB’s Hydrodynamic analysis software can calculate site or voyage dependent response statistics, within a few mouse clicks. The advanced graphical user interface immediately provides detailed output of the calculated results. This significantly improves the reliability of your calculations.

SPEAK TO AN ABB EXPERT

Have questions about ABB Ability™ routing services, digital voyage optimization or fleet performance solutions? Submit a general enquiry and our team will get back to you.