Ennore Port · INENR

Cargo Hold Cleaning (Shore Gang) at Ennore Port

Holds ready for the next fixture before the vessel sails

Get a quote

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

Cleanship Marine puts shore gangs on board at Ennore Port, Tamil Nadu, to clean cargo holds between fixtures — sweeping, washing, rinsing and drying to the standard the next cargo demands, worked at the coal berths and RoRo berths.

Kamarajar Port at Ennore is the dedicated coal and automobile port serving Chennai's industrial hinterland, and it took over the dirty bulk traffic that used to run through Chennai Port itself. Coal carriers on repeat voyages and car carriers on liner schedules are the two profiles most often booked for underwater work here.

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 Ennore

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 north-east monsoon sets the outer limits of the calendar, roughly October to December, and it affects the anchorage far more than the berth. Access approval runs through Kamarajar Port Limited and the terminal, and the disposal route for residues and washings is fixed before the gang boards rather than found afterwards.

Where we work: Coal berths · RoRo berths · Liquid terminals · Anchorage
Vessels we see here: Bulk carriers · Pure car and truck carriers · LNG carriers · Product tankers

What we do at Ennore

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

Planning the window at Ennore

The north-east monsoon governs the calendar at Ennore Port, roughly October to December. The Bay of Bengal also carries cyclone risk in April to June and again from October to December, so an anchorage attendance on this coast is planned with a standby allowance rather than a single fixed date. 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 Chennai (MAA), 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 Ennore

Ennore is a coal port first, so coal dust and the residue driven into the tank-top margins are the recurring job. The car carrier and RoRo tonnage calling here is a different scope entirely — deck cleaning, lashing waste and ramp areas rather than hold washing — and it is worth being clear which one you are asking for.

The standing residues at Ennore Port are thermal coal, automobiles and roro, lng — the dusty, abrasive kind that films every surface and packs into frames, brackets and the tank-top margins. Anything following into a clean or food-grade cargo needs the full sequence: sweep, wash, rinse and dry, not a hose down.

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 Ennore

1
Scope and vessel details
Tell us the vessel, her particulars, the last and next cargo and the window at Ennore. 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 Kamarajar Port Limited 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 Ennore, not an assurance. Where reception is limited, the plan changes rather than the paperwork.
3
Mobilisation to Ennore
Gangs, pumps, chemicals and equipment mobilise via Chennai (MAA). Where a vessel is also calling at Chennai, 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.

Ennore Port at a glance

UN/LOCODE: INENR
Port type: Major Port
State: Tamil Nadu
Country: India
Water body: Bay of Bengal
Port authority: Kamarajar Port Limited
Main cargoes: Thermal coal, Automobiles and RoRo, LNG, POL, General cargo
Crew mobilisation: Chennai (MAA)
Services here: Hull Cleaning, Hold Cleaning and Tank Cleaning

Frequently asked — Cargo Hold Cleaning at Ennore

Do you provide cargo hold cleaning at Ennore Port?

Yes. Cleanship Marine works Ennore Port (INENR) in Tamil Nadu, India, covering the coal berths, RoRo berths, liquid terminals and anchorage. Teams mobilise via Chennai (MAA) with the full spread.

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

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

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

To MARPOL Annex V, through the reception route agreed with Kamarajar Port Limited 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 Ennore is limited, we change the plan rather than the paperwork.

Where is the work done at Ennore — 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 Ennore?

Bulk carriers, Pure car and truck carriers, LNG carriers, Product tankers — the traffic at Ennore Port runs to thermal coal, automobiles and roro, lng, 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 Ennore?

Crews and equipment mobilise via Chennai (MAA). 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 Chennai or Krishnapatnam, one mobilisation is often sized to cover both.

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

Get in touch