Initial rinse
Recovered parts were immediately rinsed in cold fresh water after being removed from the vessel.
Documented reference · Norwegian Defence Materiel Agency
Critical components.
Treated after salt-water exposure.
After the recovery of HNoMS Helge Ingstad, Salt-X was used in a controlled process to remove salt from electronic circuit boards and mechanical components.
Incident8 November 2018
Returned to base3 March 2019
LocationHaakonsvern, Bergen
The role of Salt-X
Desalination of recovered parts – carried out by specialist teams at Haakonsvern.
FMA MARKAP decided to try to recover critical electronic and mechanical parts from the vessel. FMA MARKAP and FLO/MAINTENANCE established and performed the cleaning process. Salt-X was used as the desalination agent.
The method
A controlled
four-step process.
The report describes how the parts were handled from the moment they left the salt water through final drying and inspection.
Salt-X 1:50
The parts were placed in containers with Salt-X solution for storage and transport to Haakonsvern.
Ultrasonic cleaning
At Haakonsvern, the parts were treated in an ultrasonic cleaner and rinsed with clean water at 60 °C.
Controlled drying
Finally, the components were dried in a vacuum oven for 24 hours at 70 °C.
Pre-treatment: Oil and lubricants had to be removed first so Salt-X could contact the salt directly.
Reported results
Visibly clean.
Controlled and documented.
No visible salt film
The report states that no salt or salt film could be seen on the treated parts.
Appeared almost new
After cleaning and drying, the specialist team reported that the components appeared almost new.
Positive control tests
Circuit boards in a 1:250 Salt-X solution showed no significant rust problems after two weeks in the described test.
Valves were cleaned
Diving valves with previously stuck deposits were reported clean after one minute of ultrasonic cleaning with Salt-X.
Original documentation
Experience from FMA MARKAP and FLO/MAINTENANCE.
The document describes the background, process, test results and conclusions from the specialist teams that carried out the treatment.
Open and download the original report More references
Technical articles and experience.
02
Real Marine · Preservation blog
From acid to Salt-X – an environmentally friendly rust remover
External technical article about moving from acid-based rust removal to Salt-X.03
Before-and-after documentation · 2026
Salt-X in a 24-hour tool bath
Visual documentation of rust treatment using a 1:20 mixture · 3 pages · PDF.04
VGTV · Norwegian-language video
An easy way to remove one of your car's worst enemies
Watch the external Salt-X video on VGTV.More references are coming
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