High-pressure jetting of topsides drains on a North Sea FPSO – three-person team with a diesel jetting unit and vacuum support cleared over 100 drains (vs 17 planned), restoring full drainage with zero incidents and no disruption to production.
Sector: Offshore oil & gas – FPSO operations
Location: Aoka Mizu FPSO, North Sea
Client: FPSO operator (anonymised)
Services: HP drain jetting, waste handling, topsides drainage restoration
Overview
The FPSO operator was experiencing significant drainage issues across the topsides, with multiple blocked drains increasing slip risk and complicating routine maintenance. An initial scope was raised to clear a limited number of known problem locations.
Sureclean was brought in to diagnose and clear the blockages using high-pressure jetting, working around live operations and strict safety standards.
The Challenge
The objectives were to:
- Clean approximately 17 identified blocked drains across the topsides
- Work in close coordination with the operations team to avoid disrupting production
- Maintain strict environmental and health & safety compliance
- Use a small, efficient crew to deliver value without adding logistics burden
Hidden blockages elsewhere in the system were expected but not fully quantified at the outset.
Sureclean’s Approach
The operator engaged Sureclean to provide a specialist three-person jetting crew equipped with:
- A High-Pressure Diesel Jetting Unit
- Tote tanks and vacuum skips for controlled collection of washings and debris
Our method focused on:
- Operational efficiency: sequencing work to follow access and SIMOPS constraints, keeping disruption to a minimum
- Safety and environmental control: clear hose routing, good housekeeping and compliant waste capture and transfer
- Flexibility: expanding the scope dynamically as additional blocked drains were identified
Because of the crew’s productivity and smooth integration with the platform team, the operator authorised progressive expansion of the workfront.
Results
The scope quickly grew beyond the original plan:
- Instead of 17 drains, the team successfully jetted and cleaned over 100 drains across the facility.
- Full drainage capability was restored across treated topsides areas.
- The high-pressure jetting significantly improved system functionality and reduced the risk of future flooding or overflows.
- All work was completed safely, in full compliance with environmental and safety standards, and without any incidents or production impact.
Client feedback:
“Excellent communication throughout the work scope worked well within the operations team. Very professional attitude towards the safety culture on board.”
What this shows about Sureclean
This project shows how Sureclean’s small, specialist jetting teams and owned HP fleet can:
- Turn a limited, problem-drain scope into a comprehensive drainage recovery campaign
- Work seamlessly with offshore operations to protect uptime and safety
- Deliver measurable improvements in topsides reliability through engineered industrial cleaning.
