Abidjan Port · CIABJ

Cargo Hold Cleaning (Shore Gang) at Abidjan Port

Holds ready for the next fixture before the vessel sails

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Tell us the vessel, the port and the window. Scoped reply, usually the same working day.

Cleanship Marine puts shore gangs on board at Abidjan Port, Abidjan, to clean cargo holds between fixtures — sweeping, washing, rinsing and drying to the standard the next cargo demands, worked at the container terminal berths, oil and general cargo quays.

Cocoa and coffee are food-grade cargoes with strict cleanliness and odour requirements, and Abidjan loads both in volume. A hold that carried a mineral or fertiliser cargo inbound and is fixed for cocoa outbound needs the full sequence and a dry, odour-free result — the lagoon humidity is what makes the drying stage the hard part.

What it gets you

Holds presented to the standard the next fixture actually requires
Inspection failures and the resulting demurrage avoided
Residue and washings disposed of to MARPOL Annex V rather than left as the master's problem
Crew kept on their own work instead of on cleaning duty

Working conditions at Abidjan

Work here runs both alongside and at anchorage depending on the call, and on the passage out where neither gives enough time. The Atlantic swell and the rains sets the outer limits of the calendar, with the heaviest rain from May to October and swell running year-round, and it affects the anchorage far more than the berth. Humidity is high year-round and the rains make it worse, which matters more than temperature for enclosed-space work: holds will not dry, and a hold that cannot be dried cannot be closed. Access approval runs through Port Autonome d'Abidjan and the terminal, and the disposal route for residues and washings is fixed before the gang boards rather than found afterwards.

Where we work: Container terminal berths · Oil and general cargo quays · Lagoon anchorage
Vessels we see here: Container ships · Product tankers · General cargo and reefer vessels · Fishing fleet and support craft

What we do at Abidjan

Sweeping and removal of cargo residues, dunnage and lashing waste from tank tops, frames and brackets
Fresh or sea water washing with the correct chemical treatment for the residue found, followed by a fresh water rinse
Bilge wells, strum boxes, bilge lines and hold ladders cleaned and tested
Drying and ventilation so holds pass inspection rather than merely look clean
Residue and washing water handled to MARPOL Annex V requirements and the disposal rules in force at Abidjan
Hold-by-hold photographic record and a completion report ahead of the inspection

Planning the window at Abidjan

The Atlantic swell and the rains governs the calendar at Abidjan Port, with the heaviest rain from May to October and swell running year-round. For hold work the wind matters less than the rain: holds cannot be washed, dried and closed in wet weather, and a hold shut up damp fails inspection however clean it looks. Some vessels sit and some turn straight round, so the plan is agreed against the actual call rather than a standard package: a shore gang alongside where there is time, a riding crew on the outward passage where there is not.

Teams mobilise via Abidjan (ABJ), so give us the ETA as early as you have it — the travel is the flexible part, the approvals and the working window are not.

What we typically find at Abidjan

This is container and unitised tonnage, so the scope is cell guides, hold bilges, bilge wells, tank tops and lashing gear rather than a bulk residue clean — steady maintenance work at height and in confined spaces, on ships that will not extend a berth window for it.

The condition we find here varies more than at most ports, because some vessels have had days at anchor to work the holds and some have had none. The scope is confirmed on boarding rather than assumed from the fixture.

Standard scope of work

Included as standard on every cargo hold cleaning attendance, wherever the vessel is. Anything outside it is quoted separately and flagged before mobilisation, never added afterwards.

Sweeping and residue removal: Full manual and mechanical sweep of tank tops, hoppers, brackets and frames, with residues bagged for landing ashore in line with MARPOL Annex V.
High-pressure washing: Fresh or sea water washing at working pressures suited to the coating condition, covering tank top, hopper plating, side frames, bulkheads and the underside of hatch covers.
Chemical treatment: Application of marine-approved, biodegradable degreasers and hold cleaners where previous cargoes have left oily, staining or odour-bearing residues.
Rinsing and drying: Fresh water rinse to remove salt and chemical traces, followed by forced drying and bilge drying so holds present dry, odour-free and free of loose scale.
Bilge wells and hatch coamings: Bilge wells cleaned, strainers cleared and non-return valves tested; coamings, drain channels and compression bars cleaned so hatch covers seal correctly.

Full Hold Cleaning Shore Gang service details

How we deliver it at Abidjan

1
Scope and vessel details
Tell us the vessel, her particulars, the last and next cargo and the window at Abidjan. We come back with a defined scope, a crew size and a duration we will stand behind. Where the conditions here will not support what has been asked for, we say so at this stage rather than after mobilisation.
2
Approvals and waste routing
Port Autonome d'Abidjan approves the work alongside the local harbour master, and at a state port that conversation is quicker but less formal — it is worth having in writing. The disposal route for residues and washings is fixed before the gang boards — MARPOL Annex V compliance is a documented chain, not an assurance. Where reception at Abidjan is limited, the plan changes rather than the paperwork.
3
Mobilisation to Abidjan
Gangs, pumps, chemicals and equipment mobilise via Abidjan (ABJ). Where a vessel is also calling at San Pédro, one mobilisation is normally sized to cover both.
4
Entry, sequencing and the work
Enclosed-space entry runs to the vessel's own permit system, with a fresh gas test before every entry and after every break. Gas testing, standby cover and continuous supervision run throughout, and progress is reported hold by hold rather than only at the end.
5
Report and handover
A completion report covering cargo hold cleaning is issued with before-and-after imagery, hold by hold and anything found that you should know about. The findings are discussed with the vessel rather than emailed and forgotten.

Abidjan Port at a glance

UN/LOCODE: CIABJ
Port type: State Port
State: Abidjan
Country: Côte d'Ivoire
Water body: Ébrié Lagoon, via the Vridi Canal
Port authority: Port Autonome d'Abidjan
Main cargoes: Containers, Cocoa and coffee, Crude and refined products, General cargo, Fishing catch
Crew mobilisation: Abidjan (ABJ)
Services here: Hull Cleaning, Hold Cleaning and Tank Cleaning

Frequently asked — Cargo Hold Cleaning at Abidjan

Do you provide cargo hold cleaning at Abidjan Port?

Yes. Cleanship Marine works Abidjan Port (CIABJ) in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, covering the container terminal berths, oil and general cargo quays, lagoon anchorage. Teams mobilise via Abidjan (ABJ) with the full spread.

Can cargo hold cleaning be done while the vessel works cargo at Abidjan?

It depends on the call. Where the vessel has time, a shore gang works the holds alongside as they empty; where she turns straight round, a riding crew completes them on the passage. The vessel stays on hire throughout, and there is no diversion and no dry dock. We scope against the conditions at Abidjan and tell you honestly whether the window you have is enough.

How are hold washings and cargo residues disposed of at Abidjan?

To MARPOL Annex V, through the reception route agreed with Port Autonome d'Abidjan and the terminal before the gang boards. Residues, sweepings and washing water are tracked from the hold to reception with documentation, so the vessel has a record rather than an assurance. Where reception capacity at Abidjan is limited, we change the plan rather than the paperwork.

Where is the work done at Abidjan — alongside, at anchorage or on passage?

Work here runs both alongside and at anchorage depending on the call, and on the passage out where neither gives enough time. Between June and September the binding constraint is working temperature inside the space rather than access to it.

Which vessels do you carry out cargo hold cleaning on at Abidjan?

Container ships, Product tankers, General cargo and reefer vessels, Fishing fleet and support craft — the traffic at Abidjan Port runs to containers, cocoa and coffee, crude and refined products, so those are the profiles we see most. The scope is sized to the vessel, not to a standard package.

How quickly can a team mobilise to Abidjan?

Crews and equipment mobilise via Abidjan (ABJ). Give us the ETA and the window and we will confirm what is achievable rather than promise a date we cannot hold. Where the vessel also calls at San Pédro or Monrovia, one mobilisation is often sized to cover both.

What does cargo hold cleaning at Abidjan cost?

It depends on the number of holds, the residue from the last cargo, the standard the next fixture demands and how much time the call at Abidjan actually gives. We would rather scope it properly and give you a specific figure than quote a headline rate that changes once the work starts. Send the details and the window at Abidjan and you get a scoped price, usually the same working day.

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