Kakinada Port · INKAK

Cargo Hold Cleaning (Shore Gang) at Kakinada 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 Kakinada Port, Andhra Pradesh, to clean cargo holds between fixtures — sweeping, washing, rinsing and drying to the standard the next cargo demands, worked at the deep water port berths and anchorage port lighterage position.

Kakinada is the agricultural bulk and fertiliser gateway for the Godavari delta and a shore base for offshore activity in the Krishna-Godavari basin. Bulk carriers on grain and fertiliser parcels and offshore support vessels between charters are the two profiles that most often need 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 Kakinada

Most of the work at this port happens at the anchorage, simply because that is where vessels spend their time. 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 Kakinada Seaports and the Andhra Pradesh 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: Deep water port berths · Anchorage port lighterage position · Outer anchorage
Vessels we see here: Handysize and Supramax bulk carriers · Product and chemical tankers · Offshore support vessels

What we do at Kakinada

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

Planning the window at Kakinada

The north-east monsoon governs the calendar at Kakinada 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. 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 Rajahmundry (RJA) or Visakhapatnam (VTZ), 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 Kakinada

Kakinada moves agricultural bulk and fertiliser through the same holds, and that sequence is the classic contamination risk: fertiliser residue into a food-grade cargo fails inspection outright. The cleaning standard here is set by the next fixture, not the last one.

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 Kakinada are holds that need doing twice.

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 Kakinada

1
Scope and vessel details
Tell us the vessel, her particulars, the last and next cargo and the window at Kakinada. 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 Kakinada Seaports and the Andhra Pradesh 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 Kakinada, not an assurance. Where reception is limited, the plan changes rather than the paperwork.
3
Mobilisation to Kakinada
Gangs, pumps, chemicals and equipment mobilise via Rajahmundry (RJA) or Visakhapatnam (VTZ). Where a vessel is also calling at Visakhapatnam, 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.

Kakinada Port at a glance

UN/LOCODE: INKAK
Port type: State Port
State: Andhra Pradesh
Country: India
Water body: Bay of Bengal
Port authority: Kakinada Seaports and the Andhra Pradesh Maritime Board
Main cargoes: Agricultural bulk and rice, Fertiliser, Edible oil, Cement, Offshore project cargo
Crew mobilisation: Rajahmundry (RJA) / Visakhapatnam (VTZ)
Services here: Hull Cleaning, Hold Cleaning and Tank Cleaning

Frequently asked — Cargo Hold Cleaning at Kakinada

Do you provide cargo hold cleaning at Kakinada Port?

Yes. Cleanship Marine works Kakinada Port (INKAK) in Andhra Pradesh, India, covering the deep water port berths, anchorage port lighterage position and outer anchorage. Teams mobilise via Rajahmundry (RJA) or Visakhapatnam (VTZ) with the full spread.

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

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

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

To MARPOL Annex V, through the reception route agreed with Kakinada Seaports and the Andhra Pradesh 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 Kakinada is limited, we change the plan rather than the paperwork.

Where is the work done at Kakinada — 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.

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

Handysize and Supramax bulk carriers, Product and chemical tankers, Offshore support vessels — the traffic at Kakinada Port runs to agricultural bulk and rice, fertiliser, edible oil, 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 Kakinada?

Crews and equipment mobilise via Rajahmundry (RJA) or Visakhapatnam (VTZ). 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 Visakhapatnam or Gangavaram, one mobilisation is often sized to cover both.

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

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