After a cargo ship with neither engine power nor electricity – a so-called “black ship” – had drifted in the Mediterranean for 24 hours, Ocean Team was called in by the ship's insurance company to provide a diagnose. And thanks to our extensive experience and know-how, we were able to identify the cause: bacteria growth in the diesel oil system. The ship owner presented us with an additional challenge: he had a contract for a very important shipment, which had to be delivered on time. In short, we faced a tight schedule too.

The quickest solution was to make a diagnosis on the ship. We packed our bags and were aboard the ship within 24 hours. Here, our technicians found that a rapidly accelerating microbiological growth, “diesel plague”, had spread to all tanks and the whole system. Even the engine was affected.

Usually the tanks are drained of water to avoid this problem. It turned out, however, that a plug on the seawater drain had stuck, allowing seawater to spread the bacteria to the rest of the system.

The ship was taken to the nearest dock in Sicily with an Ocean Team engineer on board. We quickly ascertained, though, that the required cleaning method could be carried out much more cheaply and effectively in Malta. So the ship and our engineer continued to Malta, where the pipes were cleaned, the tanks drained and cleaned and measures taken to prevent any new microbiological growth. The engineer from Ocean Team controlled the process from start to end, working as project manager in close cooperation with the insurance company and local suppliers. Fourteen days later the ship was able to continue its journey, and the owner could deliver his valuable and urgent cargo on time.