Dahej Port · INDAH

Cargo Hold Cleaning (Shore Gang) at Dahej 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 Dahej Port, Gujarat, to clean cargo holds between fixtures — sweeping, washing, rinsing and drying to the standard the next cargo demands, worked at the LNG jetty and liquid chemical terminal.

Dahej is Gujarat's principal LNG and liquid chemical gateway, with a solid cargo terminal alongside it serving the Bharuch industrial belt. Gas carriers and chemical tankers working to strict terminal windows dominate the traffic, so an underwater scope here is sized to the slot that exists, and anything that will not fit is staged for the next call.

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 Dahej

Work here starts alongside, and where the berth window runs out it continues on the outward passage with a riding crew — the berth will not be held open for it. The south-west monsoon sets the outer limits of the calendar, roughly June to September, and it affects the anchorage far more than the berth. Access approval runs through Gujarat Maritime Board and the terminal, and the disposal route for residues and washings is fixed before the gang boards rather than found afterwards.

Where we work: LNG jetty · Liquid chemical terminal · Solid cargo berths
Vessels we see here: LNG carriers · Chemical and product tankers · Bulk carriers

What we do at Dahej

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

Planning the window at Dahej

The south-west monsoon governs the calendar at Dahej Port, roughly June to September. Swell and reduced surface visibility close most open-water work on this coast for the duration, and the weeks either side are unreliable rather than unusable. Turnaround here is quick and the berth will not be held open for cleaning, so the work is either sequenced hold by hold behind the discharge as each one empties, or handed to a riding crew to complete on the passage out. Waiting for all holds to be empty is waiting past the berth window.

Teams mobilise via Vadodara (BDQ) or Surat (STV), 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 Dahej

The solid cargo side of Dahej runs coal and fertiliser through the same holds as steel and project cargo, and that sequence is the awkward one. Coal dust and fertiliser residue both have to come out completely before a clean cargo, while dunnage and lashing waste from project cargo is a different job needing different people.

Dahej Port runs lng, liquid chemicals and coal through the same holds, and that sequence is where the money is lost: mineral fines and dust from one fixture will fail an inspection for the next if the holds are only swept. The standard that matters is the one the next cargo demands, not the one the last one left.

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 Dahej

1
Scope and vessel details
Tell us the vessel, her particulars, the last and next cargo and the window at Dahej. 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
Access and working approval is arranged with Gujarat Maritime Board and the terminal, and the disposal route for residues and washings is fixed before the gang boards — MARPOL Annex V compliance is a documented chain at Dahej, not an assurance. Where reception is limited, the plan changes rather than the paperwork.
3
Mobilisation to Dahej
Gangs, pumps, chemicals and equipment mobilise via Vadodara (BDQ) or Surat (STV). Where a vessel is also calling at Hazira, 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.

Dahej Port at a glance

UN/LOCODE: INDAH
Port type: State Port
State: Gujarat
Country: India
Water body: Gulf of Khambhat
Port authority: Gujarat Maritime Board
Main cargoes: LNG, Liquid chemicals, Coal, Fertiliser, Steel and project cargo
Crew mobilisation: Vadodara (BDQ) / Surat (STV)
Services here: Hull Cleaning, Hold Cleaning and Tank Cleaning

Frequently asked — Cargo Hold Cleaning at Dahej

Do you provide cargo hold cleaning at Dahej Port?

Yes. Cleanship Marine works Dahej Port (INDAH) in Gujarat, India, covering the LNG jetty, liquid chemical terminal and solid cargo berths. Teams mobilise via Vadodara (BDQ) or Surat (STV) with the full spread.

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

Partly. Holds are worked one at a time behind the discharge as each empties, but the berth will not be held for the remainder — so the realistic plan is to start alongside and finish with a riding crew on the passage out. The vessel stays on hire throughout, and there is no diversion and no dry dock. We scope against the conditions at Dahej and tell you honestly whether the window you have is enough.

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

To MARPOL Annex V, through the reception route agreed with Gujarat Maritime Board 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 Dahej is limited, we change the plan rather than the paperwork.

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

Work here starts alongside, and where the berth window runs out it continues on the outward passage with a riding crew — the berth will not be held open for it.

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

LNG carriers, Chemical and product tankers, Bulk carriers — the traffic at Dahej Port runs to lng, liquid chemicals and coal, 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 Dahej?

Crews and equipment mobilise via Vadodara (BDQ) or Surat (STV). 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 Hazira or Magdalla, one mobilisation is often sized to cover both.

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

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