2 – 5 December 2025
Shanghai New International Expo Centre (SNIEC), China
中国上海浦东新区龙阳路2345号, 上海新国际博览中心

Mr. Alf Kåre Ådnanes
Manager
Regional Division AMEA
ABB Marine & Ports

ABB1

Moderator: Dr WANG Jinbao,
Former Chairman of ITTC Specialist Committees on Operational Performance / Deputy Director of International Exchange Committee of Shanghai Society Naval Architects and Marine Engineers

Wang: 

Dr. Alf, it’s very nice to see you again. On behalf of Shanghai-SNAME and Infoma Markets, I’d like to warmly welcome our distinguished guest manager of ABB regional division of Asia Middle-East and Africa. Thank you very much for accepting our kind invitation, before Marintec China, the grand event with glorious history during past 40 years, and we will be held at the beginning of this December. Today it is my honor to held this interview, and this is the Jinbao Wang from Marine Design and Research institute of China, one of the earliest and the most famous design and research institute in China. Well, as warm up before we start the interview, Dr. Alf would you please give us the brief introduction of yourself, please.

Ådnanes:

Thank you so much and thank you for inviting me for this meeting. Well, as you said I’m Alf Kåre Ådnanes and I am the regional manager for ABB Marine and Ports in Africa, Middle- East and Asia. I have been staying in Shanghai for six years and I’m able to stay here for another couple of years as well. I really like to work in China in the industry and to meet with the customers here. It is a very dynamic market and I’m really thrilled to stay here. So, I’m very much looking forward for the upcoming Marintec China event and again to meet with our customers and partners.

Wang:

Thank you very much Alf for your interesting introduction. You have rich experience. ABB Marine and Ports is dedicated to the technologies that are driving the evolution of sustainable shipping. Can you tell us more how does ABB evaluate your present performance, I mean especially in China, any envision in the future, thank you.

Ådnanes:

Yeah, so ABB is a global safe operation and ABB is the leading provider of technologies and solutions and services to a wide range of industries to our 21 divisions. We are focused on electrification, automation and digitalization and beyond that the whole ABB group is committed to sustainability in everything we do and in all and any aspects. ABB provides products and solutions that also will help the industries in this energy transformation towards reduction or emissions and carbon neutrality. For ABB Marine,the journey towards decarbonization started already many years ago and today till we see mainly incrementally with energy efficiency improvements to meet new and more stringent regulations from among other institutions like IMO. Electric propulsion is a well-established concept in certain segments, such as passengers, vessels offshore where ABB has been in front runner in decades, but recently we see an accelerated and speeding up demand for fully electric and hybrid and also some zero-emission vessels in the same segments. Also in new segments such as in offshore wind and small tankers and in dry cargo.

Wang:

Many thanks for your interesting introduction. I believe this is very inspiring. Many thanks for your great contribution to marine industry. Well, what are the groups innovative technologies that you are willing to share with us?

Ådnanes:

Yes, like I said, on the group level, we are serving so many different industries, so it’s difficult to pick out one technology to highlight, but as I said sustainability and the energy transformation towards carbon neutrality is the core of what we are doing and that is common for all the 21 divisions. We in ABB Marine, we are particularly well positioned to support the industry in this transformation. As I said also the electric proportion will not be the only solution for this zero-emission or zero-carbon emission in the future but it will be one important part of it, so we are very much committed to support our customers and marine industry to come through this needed energy transmission.

Wang:

Okay, quite right carbon emission has become a very hot topic today. From your introduction I can see what you have done sounds very encouraging and really interesting. Well, what are the highlights of your exhibits at the upcoming Marintec China.

Ådnanes:

I must say that we and we are thrilled to join and partner in Marintec again. As we have done since the very beginning of Marintec China and we will show our solutions to meet today’s and the coming requirements for sustainable shipping industry where decarbonization is the ultimate target, so our present in Marintec China this year will very much be focused on sustainable shipping and upcoming new requirements for shipping industry.

Wang:

I believe there will be good news to the coming Marintec China. Great, we hope to find your new technologies and products soon. Well, about Marintec China what is your expectations and best wishes, as you know this grand event has history of more than 20 sessions in the past forty years.

Ådnanes:

We ABB we are very proud to attend and for being a partner with Marintec since the very beginning of Marintec China forty years ago, and for those who hasn’t been visiting Marintec China before. I can tell you that the Marintec China is by far the biggest marine trade fair and exhibition in this region and a one stop marketplace to meet with existing new customers, suppliers, partners and other professionals across whole maritime value chain and all ship segments, so this is by far the most comprehensive trade fair in the marine meets in the world. For ABB and for other exhibitors Marintec China is the place to present the most recent technologies and designs, therefore a good place to find and get first hand update on trans and innovations in the marine industry.

Wang:

Thank you Marintec China a is a very important platform for all interesting parties and your sincere expectations are noted and many thanks for the blessing well. How would you describe Marintec China to those who has never visited Marintec China before.

Ådnanes:

Marintec China is by far the biggest marine trade fair and exhibition in this region and a one stop marketplace to meet with existing new customers, suppliers, partners, and other professionals across whole maritime value chain and all ship segments, so this is by far the most or the widest covering exhibition and fair in the whole maritime world for meeting all the stakeholders in the marine business. For ABB and for other exhibitors Marintec China is the place to present the most recent technologies and designs, therefore a good place to find and get first hand update on trans and innovations in the marine industry.

Wang:

Thanks a lot for your enthusiastic introduction. Well, Dr. Alf our old friends of Marintec China many thanks for generous sharing with us your future vision, innovative technologies, highlights of your exhibits at the coming event. Together with the introduction to Marintec China and the best wishes. Well Marintec China also wish you ABB all the best and make more contribution to marine industry. Looking forward to welcome you in shanghai on December 7th until 10th. Thank you and bye.

Ådnanes:

Thank you so much for this conversation and I’m also looking very much forward to seeing you all at Marintec China on 7th until 10th December at the Shanghai New International Expo Center. I’m very thrilled and very enthusiastically going to meet with you and to present what we have to show what we can show to the maritime industry in this event and looking forward to see all our customers and partners and professional colleagues across the whole maritime value chain. So thank you so much.

Wang:

We believe we will have a chance to meet face to face to have more communication.

Ådnanes:

Yeah, now it will be very good to meet face to face again, since there’s all over the two years ago since last Marintec China.

I’m looking forward to see all of you, our customers, partners and professionals across the industry at Marintec China in the Shanghai New International Expo Center in December 7th to 10th . It will be good to see all of you again after so long time now without meeting our each other face to face for the first time in two years, so thank you so much.

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