In 2012, Pemex Exploración y Producción (PEP), a subsidiary of Mexican national oil company Pemex, was looking to construct an expansive offshore drilling and production complex in the Gulf of Mexico. The six-platform system would integrate separate rigs for drilling and production operations, as well as housing for workers and two additional processing units.

The platforms needed to be designed to maximize worker safety—and provide modular capacity for increased production. PEP awarded the contract to Dragados Offshore, a leading engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor with four decades of experience providing best-in-class integrated project execution. To help protect people and equipment while reducing onsite commissioning and complexity, Dragados Offshore turned to Eaton.

The remote nature of offshore recovery environments creates increased challenges and elevated risk for personnel. Dragados Offshore needed to meet these challenges and a number of unique customer requirements for the lighting, cabling and electrical infrastructure. For instance, all cabling support systems and hardware had to be PVC-encapsulated to provide optimal performance and protection in the harsh offshore environment. Also, the cable management infrastructure needed to seamlessly integrate with the cable manufacturers’ products prior to shipment to prevent installation and commissioning delays.

Eaton application engineers spent weeks onsite with the engineering and procurement team to ensure specifications were accurate and would achieve the desired results. Extensive two- and three-dimensional drawings of the lighting systems and cable layout networks were created to prevent onsite confusion or installation delays.

With the help of Eaton’s custom manufacturing center, Dragados Offshore was able to quickly source a smart solution consisting of fiberglass cable trays with PVC-encapsulated hardware to protect cabling assets. Eaton then developed special cable glands to ensure compliance with the cable itself.

In addition to the cabling solution, Eaton provided extensive lighting and safety systems throughout the complex. Light fixtures specially designed to reduce maintenance and replacement costs. Robust emergency lighting systems with integrated battery backup capabilities. High-powered loudspeakers specifically engineered for harsh operating environments. All to protect personnel aboard the platforms and help safely direct workers toward secure locations in the event of a power loss or other safety hazard.

By working closely with Dragados Offshore throughout the project, Eaton was able to deliver on-time and on-spec while ensuring quick, easy installation. Eaton’s onsite experts also helped train the entire onboard staff on maintenance practices and procedures to ensure uninterrupted operation over the life of the equipment.

Through Eaton’s unique combination of systems, components and services, the new offshore production complex is well positioned for minimized risk and optimized investment—wherever exploration takes it.