Colombo Port · LKCMB

Cargo Hold Cleaning (Shore Gang) at Colombo 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 Colombo Port, Western Province, to clean cargo holds between fixtures — sweeping, washing, rinsing and drying to the standard the next cargo demands, worked at the container terminal berths and bunkering anchorage.

Colombo's hold work is mostly transhipment container tonnage — cell guides, hold bilges, bilge wells and tank tops — plus cement and agricultural bulk on the regional callers. Tea and food-grade cargo out of Sri Lanka is odour-sensitive, so a hold that carried cement or fertiliser inbound needs the full sequence, not a sweep.

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 Colombo

Work here runs both alongside and at anchorage depending on the call, and on the passage out where neither gives enough time. The two monsoons sets the outer limits of the calendar, the south-west from May to September and the north-east from December to February, and it affects the anchorage far more than the berth. Humidity is high year-round rather than seasonal, so enclosed-space work here is planned with ventilation and rest cycles in every month, not just the summer. Access approval runs through Sri Lanka Ports Authority 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 · Bunkering anchorage · General cargo quays
Vessels we see here: Main-line and feeder container ships · Bunker tankers and barges · General cargo ships · Cruise ships

What we do at Colombo

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 Colombo
Hold-by-hold photographic record and a completion report ahead of the inspection

Planning the window at Colombo

The two monsoons governs the calendar at Colombo Port, the south-west from May to September and the north-east from December to February. 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.

Cleanship holds an operating base at Colombo, so we can hold a team ready against a shifting ETA rather than committing travel to a date that may move.

What we typically find at Colombo

Agricultural and fertiliser parcels dominate here, and they are the unforgiving residues: hygroscopic, corrosive to coatings if left damp, and an outright inspection failure ahead of a food-grade cargo. Holds shut up wet at Colombo are holds that need doing twice.

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 Colombo

1
Scope and vessel details
Tell us the vessel, her particulars, the last and next cargo and the window at Colombo. 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
Sri Lanka Ports Authority runs a statutory permit process here, so the lead time is real and the application goes in early rather than on arrival. 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 Colombo is limited, the plan changes rather than the paperwork.
3
Mobilisation to Colombo
Cleanship holds an operating base at Colombo, so gangs, pumps, chemicals and equipment are on the ground rather than in transit. That is the difference between meeting a window and missing it.
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.

Colombo Port at a glance

UN/LOCODE: LKCMB
Port type: Major Port
State: Western Province
Country: Sri Lanka
Water body: Indian Ocean
Port authority: Sri Lanka Ports Authority
Main cargoes: Containers and transhipment, Bunkers, General cargo, Cement and dry bulk, Tea and agricultural cargo
Crew mobilisation: Colombo (CMB)
Services here: Hull Cleaning, Hold Cleaning and Tank Cleaning

Frequently asked — Cargo Hold Cleaning at Colombo

Do you provide cargo hold cleaning at Colombo Port?

Yes. Cleanship Marine works Colombo Port (LKCMB) in Western Province, Sri Lanka, covering the container terminal berths, bunkering anchorage and general cargo quays. We hold an operating base at Colombo, so people and equipment are held locally rather than mobilised against a window.

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

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 Colombo and tell you honestly whether the window you have is enough.

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

To MARPOL Annex V, through the reception route agreed with Sri Lanka Ports Authority 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 Colombo is limited, we change the plan rather than the paperwork.

Where is the work done at Colombo — 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 Colombo?

Main-line and feeder container ships, Bunker tankers and barges, General cargo ships, Cruise ships — the traffic at Colombo Port runs to containers and transhipment, bunkers, general cargo, 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 Colombo?

Cleanship keeps an operating base at Colombo, so response here is fast — the constraint is normally the approvals and the working window rather than getting crews and equipment to the port.

What does cargo hold cleaning at Colombo 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 Colombo 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 Colombo and you get a scoped price, usually the same working day.

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