In the future, more ships will feature advanced industrial automation solutions and fuel saving electrical propulsion. And this development is well underway, says Heikki Soljama, head of ABB’s business unit Marine and Cranes, who expects to benefit from this trend.

“The market situation is better than ever. Our solutions improve the profitability of our customers’ operations, and in the segments where these products work the best we’re seeing a fairly strong willingness to invest,” he tells ShippingWatch, pointing to the offshore sector such as offshore support vessels (OSVs) as well as LNG vessels and cruise ships, where the company holds a strong orderbook.