Wärtsilä proves remote service capability

Tests were carried out on board the Huckleberry Finn, a RoRo ferry operated by TT-Lines, whilst sailing between Trelleborg in Sweden and Travemünde in Germany.

“The overall evaluation of this testing programme endorses Wärtsilä’s strong capabilities in remote guidance service,” said Thomas Pauly, future technologies product manager, seals & bearings, Wärtsilä Marine.

“It’s like having a Wärtsilä service engineer onboard 24/7,” he added.

Remote guidance service simulations were carried out on the ship’s navigation equipment on the bridge and on the shaft line seals and bearings in the engine room. Wärtsilä personnel monitored the simulations in real-time and found that the tests verified the effectiveness of the AR wearables, while the portable WiFi antenna provided a strong signal wherever needed.

“This was a very impressive, professional, and pragmatic demonstration of the technology,” said Thomas Busch, superintendent at TT-Lines. “The connectivity, when operating at sea, was remarkable and the hands-free equipment meets our onboard safety standards.”

Wärtsilä’s remote guidance service also proved successful during a demonstration in the TT-Lines office, during which remote guidance opportunities for use in dockings and shipyard overhauls were discussed.