ABB Marine & Ports has been selected as a key technology partner for a far-reaching EU project exploring the use of remote offshore inspection and maintenance techniques for wind farms.

With funding from the biggest EU research and innovation program Horizon 2020, the project is targeting a more efficient, cost-effective and sustainable offshore ecosystem. The project results will be made available under EU’s Community Research and Development Information Service (CORDIS).

In a project milestone, ABB is supplying a new module of the ABB Ability Marine Advisory System – OCTOPUS optimization software. This will enable improved efficiencies by cutting the transfer times between land and wind farms, as well as by reducing the vessel waiting time and working time on-site.

“ATLANTIS is a unique project that promises to unlock new potential in the operation of offshore wind farms – the fastest-growing segment of the offshore industry. Research projects like ATLANTIS are crucial to this industry’s ongoing development, and solutions like OCTOPUS allow stakeholders to leverage the benefits on an increasingly electric, digital and connected marine environment. Together, we will help the offshore wind market to cut costs while enhancing efficiency, sustainability and safety in inspection and maintenance operations.”

Dr. Andry Maykol Pinto, project coordinator, ATLANTIS.

In addition to planning missions from port to wind farm, the new module of OCTOPUS will be taking into consideration the operational limitations of the ship and personnel, as well as assess deployment opportunities for remotely operated underwater vehicles (ROVs), unmanned surface vehicles and unmanned aerial vehicles.

“OCTOPUS is about turning data into actionable insights to support decision making at sea. The new module is an industry first as it allows the user ashore to plan offshore operations according to the performance of the vessel, crew and equipment in the conditions they face. This is a significant step forward for remote decision making: in adverse weather or rough seas, a mission or an ROV launch could be aborted to save a wasted deployment or worse. There are clear benefits for safety as well efficiency.”

Antto Shemeikka, vice president Digital Services, ABB Marine & Ports.

The ATLANTIS research project is being staged at two monitoring testbeds in the Atlantic Ocean – one off the coast of Viana do Castelo, Portugal, and the other further out to sea. By better understanding how vessels and robots behave, researchers will identify opportunities to improve inspection and maintenance procedures.