Alfa Laval Turns to Remote Augmented Reality Support to Boost Vessel Performance at Sea

Leveraging the advancements in connectivity and augmented reality (AR) technology, Alfa Laval is strengthening its remote service offering to help crews troubleshoot, maintain compliance and optimize equipment performance in real time directly from vessels at sea. Building on successful trials in partnership with shipowners and ship managers, the company is now developing scalable remote support solutions that give crews continuous access to expert assistance, improving uptime, efficiency, safety and decarbonization at sea.

As the maritime sector accelerates the adoption of alternative fuels and advanced energy-saving technologies, onboard systems are becoming more complex, and the need for immediate expert guidance is increasing. Evolving regulations and a stronger focus on compliance make quick support essential for crews to navigate operational and regulatory challenges. Reliable connectivity in machinery spaces, combined with established remote support infrastructure, creates new opportunities to support crews with faster decision-making and safer operations.

Remote AR guidance minimizes equipment downtime, boosts operational efficiency, and enhances crew safety. It limits service travel, lowering costs and emissions, while supporting efficient, compliant and reliable vessel operations.

From connected equipment to connected engine rooms

For many years, Alfa Laval has developed and tested installed gateways on key equipment, including ballast water management systems (BWMS), fuel and lube oil purifiers, and oily water separation systems, to enable data-driven troubleshooting, performance improvements and secure regulatory compliance.

Until recently, the limited availability of reliable deep-sea connectivity restricted the ability of ocean-going vessels to fully leverage these capabilities. Today, improvements in satellite communications and onboard network technology are making reliable connectivity at sea far more accessible.

In collaboration with Maersk, Anglo-Eastern and Everllence PrimeServ, Alfa Laval has explored how onboard networks can be extended into machinery spaces to enable real-time monitoring and remote support of critical equipment. Field trials validated multiple use cases, including troubleshooting, crew training, operational guidance and product evaluation. Tests also confirmed that only minor hardware investment is required to bring key engine-room equipment online, creating a practical foundation for scalable remote services.

Moving from troubleshooting to compliance and performance support

The first step in remote guidance is combining connected equipment with augmented reality (AR) to strengthen remote troubleshooting and crew support. By enabling remote experts to collaborate visually with onboard crews, equipment issues can be resolved faster and more efficiently.

Alfa Laval aims to expand remote services from reactive troubleshooting to proactive compliance support and performance monitoring. The next milestone starts with PureBallast, as a new Compliance Monitoring Package planned for launch soon.