Cotonou Port · BJCOO

Cargo Hold Cleaning (Shore Gang) at Cotonou 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 Cotonou Port, Littoral, to clean cargo holds between fixtures — sweeping, washing, rinsing and drying to the standard the next cargo demands, worked at the container and general cargo berths, RoRo berth.

Cotonou loads cotton and agricultural bulk and discharges general cargo and fertiliser, so the standing brief is preparing holds for a food-grade or fibre cargo after a dirty inbound. Cotton in particular will reject a hold on odour and residue alone.

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 Cotonou

Most of the work at this port happens at the anchorage, simply because that is where vessels spend their 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 de Cotonou 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 and general cargo berths · RoRo berth · Outer anchorage
Vessels we see here: Feeder container ships · RoRo and vehicle carriers · Handysize bulk carriers · General cargo ships

What we do at Cotonou

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

Planning the window at Cotonou

The Atlantic swell and the rains governs the calendar at Cotonou 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. Waiting time is the opportunity here. Vessels sit at this port for extended periods, so holds can be worked properly and to a standard rather than rushed between grabs — and a gang put on board during the wait costs the vessel nothing in schedule.

Teams mobilise via Cotonou (COO), 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 Cotonou

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 Cotonou are holds that need doing twice.

The other thing that shows up here is time. Vessels wait, holds sit shut with residue still in them, and residue that sits gets harder to shift — the job found after a long wait at anchorage is not the job that would have been found on the day of discharge.

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 Cotonou

1
Scope and vessel details
Tell us the vessel, her particulars, the last and next cargo and the window at Cotonou. 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 de Cotonou 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 Cotonou is limited, the plan changes rather than the paperwork.
3
Mobilisation to Cotonou
Gangs, pumps, chemicals and equipment mobilise via Cotonou (COO). Where a vessel is also calling at Lomé, 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.

Cotonou Port at a glance

UN/LOCODE: BJCOO
Port type: State Port
State: Littoral
Country: Benin
Water body: Gulf of Guinea
Port authority: Port Autonome de Cotonou
Main cargoes: Containers, Cotton, Grain and agricultural bulk, General cargo, Vehicles and RoRo, Fuel
Crew mobilisation: Cotonou (COO)
Services here: Hull Cleaning and Hold Cleaning

Frequently asked — Cargo Hold Cleaning at Cotonou

Do you provide cargo hold cleaning at Cotonou Port?

Yes. Cleanship Marine works Cotonou Port (BJCOO) in Littoral, Benin, covering the container and general cargo berths, RoRo berth, outer anchorage. Teams mobilise via Cotonou (COO) with the full spread.

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

Yes, and the better answer here is usually to start before discharge finishes. Vessels wait at this port, so a gang boards during the wait and works the holds as they empty — no port time is lost, because the vessel was not sailing anyway. The vessel stays on hire throughout, and there is no diversion and no dry dock. We scope against the conditions at Cotonou and tell you honestly whether the window you have is enough.

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

To MARPOL Annex V, through the reception route agreed with Port Autonome de Cotonou 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 Cotonou is limited, we change the plan rather than the paperwork.

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

Most of the work at this port happens at the anchorage, simply because that is where vessels spend their 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 Cotonou?

Feeder container ships, RoRo and vehicle carriers, Handysize bulk carriers, General cargo ships — the traffic at Cotonou Port runs to containers, cotton, grain and agricultural bulk, 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 Cotonou?

Crews and equipment mobilise via Cotonou (COO). 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 Lomé or Tema, one mobilisation is often sized to cover both.

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

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