BELFOR DECONTAMINATES OIL-CONTAMINATED ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS ABOARD A LARGE OFFSHORE VESSEL

A BELFOR recovery technician is decontaminating electrical systems aboard an offshore vessel that suffered an oil leak.

ABOUT THE VESSEL

The vessel was a large offshore construction vessel whose electrical infrastructure, including its main power distribution, transformers, and heavy-lift crane control systems, became contaminated with oil, prompting a call to BELFOR for a full decontamination process.

THE CHALLENGE

The scale of the oil contamination was substantial, extending across the vessel’s core electrical systems. Affected equipment included four transformers supporting different parts of the power network, the main 6.6kV switchboard along with 690V and 380V distribution boards, a heavy-duty drive system and sine filter rated for 150 metric tonnes (part of the vessel’s crane or winch operations), an air conditioning unit, several drive modules, five air circuit breakers, and five control valves. With contamination present across such a wide range of critical systems, both power distribution and heavy machinery control were at risk if the equipment wasn’t properly restored.

THE RESPONSE

The client engaged BELFOR to carry out a full decontamination of the affected electrical panels, switchboards, transformers, circuit breakers and associated modules, combining on-site and workshop-based cleaning to restore the full scope of equipment. BELFOR’s recovery procedure included:

On-site cleaning of fixed installations, including cable trunkings, cables, terminals and panel frames, using alkaline-based cleaning agents, pressure washing, and repeated rinsing until fully residue-free.
Insulation resistance testing of all four transformers before and after cleaning to verify improved performance.
Full inspection and cleaning of the main switchboards, including removal and cleaning of high-voltage breakers and busbars.
Controlled drying of cleaned panels and transformers using heated, enclosed tenting.
Precision cleaning of sensitive components, including inverter drive modules and air circuit breakers, at BELFOR’s workshop under controlled conditions.
Replacement of a small number of worn parts, such as fuses, terminal blocks, timers, indicator lights, insulation and gaskets.

Every restored system was reassembled and returned to its original configuration before being reinstalled aboard the vessel.

THE RESULTS

BELFOR successfully decontaminated and restored the full scope of affected equipment, including all four transformers, the main switchboards, drive systems, circuit breakers and associated modules, returning them to their pre-incident condition. Insulation resistance testing confirmed that transformer performance had measurably improved following the cleaning process. The entire decontamination process, across this extensive scope of equipment, was completed in under two weeks. The client formally confirmed that the work delivered was complete and satisfactory.

CONCLUSION

When oil contamination threatened a wide range of critical electrical systems aboard a large offshore vessel, from power transformers to heavy-lift crane controls, BELFOR responded with a coordinated on-site and workshop decontamination program that restored the equipment to full working condition in under two weeks. The result reinforced BELFOR’s ability to manage large-scale, multi-system electrical recovery projects for the offshore and marine industry.

When time and operational uptime are critical, having a trusted restoration partner makes all the difference. BELFOR’s marine and offshore decontamination specialists are ready to respond, wherever your vessel or facility is located. Contact Us today to learn how we can help protect and restore your critical systems before minor contamination becomes a major operational risk.