ABB Testifies on Zero-Emission Technology to U.S. Congress

ABB Marine & Ports delivered testimony in the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure about the future of marine technologies.

Underpinning ABB’s commitment to tackling the ever-increasing consequences of climate change, ABB Marine & Ports presented a comprehensive approach to reducing marine emissions at a hearing in front the Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation.

The hearing on “The Path to a Carbon-Free Maritime Industry: Investments and Innovation” assessed current and future technologies for zero-emission vessel operations.

As the sole original equipment manufacturer (OEM) to testify at the hearing, ABB Marine & Ports presented an extensive overview of proven technologies that are commercially available today to reduce marine emissions, as well as shared recommendations for driving the shift to sustainable shipping and further developing solutions for enabling this transition.

“It is a great honor to be invited to testify before the Subcommittee,” said Peter Bryn, Technical Solutions Manager, North America, who has presented at the hearing. “ABB encourages the Subcommittee to set an ambitious, long-term national plan to achieve zero emissions for all vessels under its operation, as well as support the growth of the sustainable maritime industry. We are pleased to be a resource to the Subcommittee in developing a strategy to seek cost-effective solutions.”

Sustainable transportation has a crucial role in the fight against climate change, with shipping accounting for two to three percent of the world’s total greenhouse gas emissions. The International Maritime Organization, a United Nations agency responsible for regulating shipping, has set a global target to cut annual emissions by at least 50 percent by 2050 from 2008 levels.

“The marine industry in the midst of a transition towards low and zero emissions technologies. Electric, digital and connected solutions are already transforming today’s shipping, and there will be a variety of solutions to suit different vessel types and operational profiles for reducing marine emissions,” said Juha Koskela, Managing Director, ABB Marine & Ports.

Testifying at the hearing, Bryn added: “Policies should focus on setting sustainability targets for shipping, allowing the industry to assemble the best technologies and solutions for enabling emission reduction, and provide support to the marine industry as it meets those targets.”

A Congressional hearing is key method by which U.S. Congressional committees collect and analyze information as part of their legislative function. The House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure has jurisdiction over many modes of transportation in the U.S., including surface and maritime transportation.

With more than half of ABB's global revenues derived from technologies that directly address the causes of climate change, ABB has become one of the world’s leading enablers of sustainable transportation for all modes, including marine vessels. ABB’s proven solutions for sustainable marine transportation are being used around the world. This year, the first all-electric vessels ever built in the U.S. – the Niagara Falls tour operator Maid of the Mist tour boats – will start operation, powered by ABB’s zero-emission technology.

ABB’s commitment to combatting climate change includes limiting the environmental impact of its own operations, with the target to reduce its GHG emissions by 40 percent by 2020 from a 2013 baseline. As a company with around 9,000 technologists that is set to invest around $23 billion in innovation between the signing of the Paris Agreement and 2030, ABB therefore urges policymakers to adopt sound climate policies to encourage innovation and create secure investment conditions.