Background

In South America an offshore natural gas platform contained a compressor driven by a gas turbine. Routine maintenance on the lube oil system, which served both the turbine and compressor, involved periodic replacement of filter elements. On one occasion a maintenance worker failed to tighten down the lid on the filter. When the heated oil began circulating and pressurized the system, hot lube oil was sprayed from the filter and ignited. Major fire damage occurred to the multi-level platform. The resulting oil slick fire beneath the platform damaged the superstructure.

Services Provided

Rimkus performed a physical damage assessment and estimated the cost of repairs. The three-level platform was cleared of all equipment items using a 1,000 ton floating barge crane, and detailed equipment inspections were performed onshore. The platform was rebuilt with minimal controversy.