Partners developing standardised technology to replace complex, often unreliable VPNs

Birkeroed, Denmark and Goppingen, Germany – Danish ship technology specialist Danelec Marine and TeamViewer, a leading global provider of secure remote connectivity solutions, have completed trials of an innovative, low-cost and simple to deploy system for ship data transfer and remote access. As an alternative to Virtual Private Networks (VPN) for Internet of Things (IoT) connectivity, the Danelec and TeamViewer solution promises to lower costs and boost access flexibility while relieving the technical workload on IT teams and enabling more uptime for digital vessel and fleet management applications.

Danelec and TeamViewer have worked closely together to develop a customised version of the TeamViewer IoT agent, that perfectly embeds into the Operating System of Danelec’s Vessel Remote Server (VRS) and launches on demand. The system enables a secure ship-shore connection to be established quickly and easily, with a user-friendly interface providing remote access management centrally for a whole fleet. This reduces the IT department burden of enabling remote access while providing a foundation for secure and easy to manage access for employees and third parties.

Three Danelec Customers took part in the trials, which started in August 2020 and finished in December. Cypriot ship management company Interorient used the solution on five vessels, easily meeting success criteria based on pre-Annual Performance Testing of the VDR and remote data download. Interorient generated further operational savings by using remote access to optimise configuration of a new VDR and its connected sensors, as well as exploring new applications.

“Combining the convenience and security aspects of TeamViewer with the VRS has given fleet managers new opportunities for any remote actions or root cause analysis capabilities from shore. Also, simple tasks like the remote calibration of sensors can now be carried out whilst the vessel is deployed and without interrupting any onboard workflows,” said Patrick Giezen, IoT Solutions Excellence Manager, TeamViewer.

“The system answers our customers’ need for easier installation and management of secure remote access, and is relevant for OEMs looking to integrate low-cost, standardised remote access into their products or platforms,” said Casper Jensen, CEO, Danelec Marine. “The VRS with TeamViewer IoT offers an affordable and simplified first-step into digitalisation, where remote access to all vessels in a fleet is managed centrally, providing new levels of flexibility for service teams working with individual vessels and sub-systems.”

“The maritime sector is a great example of how different industries need customised solutions, and we are happy to have Danelec as a strategic partner for the development of an industry tailored product,” said Lukas Baur Executive Vice President, Solution Sales at TeamViewer. “The solution is the basis for Condition Based Monitoring and AI-based Predictive Maintenance, as well as other smart solutions for efficient and sustainable ship operations.”