Cargo Hold Cleaning (Shore Gang) at Karwar 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 Karwar Port, Karnataka, to clean cargo holds between fixtures — sweeping, washing, rinsing and drying to the standard the next cargo demands, worked at the berths inside the bay and anchorage.
Karwar is a state port in Uttara Kannada working bulk and general cargo, close to the naval base at Kadamba. Its comparatively clear Arabian Sea water makes it one of the better Indian ports for in-water class survey and UWILD work as well as for straightforward cleaning.
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 Karwar
Work here runs both alongside and at anchorage depending on the call, and on the passage out where neither gives enough time. 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 Karnataka 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
- Berths inside the bay · Anchorage
- Vessels we see here
- Handysize bulk carriers · General cargo ships · Support and naval auxiliary craft
What we do at Karwar
- 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 Karwar
- Hold-by-hold photographic record and a completion report ahead of the inspection
Planning the window at Karwar
The south-west monsoon governs the calendar at Karwar 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. 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.
Teams mobilise via Goa (GOI) or Hubballi (HBX), 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 Karwar
Karwar loads ore and bauxite alongside sugar, which is the sequence that catches people out: raw sugar is a food-grade cargo and will not tolerate a trace of mineral fines in the frames. The full sequence is needed, and the sheltered bay makes it practical to do it properly at anchor rather than against a berth clock.
Karwar Port runs iron ore and bauxite, coal, sugar 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.
How we deliver it at Karwar
- 1
Scope and vessel details
Tell us the vessel, her particulars, the last and next cargo and the window at Karwar. 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 Karnataka 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 Karwar, not an assurance. Where reception is limited, the plan changes rather than the paperwork.
- 3
Mobilisation to Karwar
Gangs, pumps, chemicals and equipment mobilise via Goa (GOI) or Hubballi (HBX). Where a vessel is also calling at Belekeri, 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.
Karwar Port at a glance
- UN/LOCODE
- INKRW
- Port type
- State Port
- State
- Karnataka
- Country
- India
- Water body
- Arabian Sea
- Port authority
- Karnataka Maritime Board
- Main cargoes
- Iron ore and bauxite, Coal, Sugar, General and project cargo
- Crew mobilisation
- Goa (GOI) / Hubballi (HBX)
- Services here
- Hull Cleaning and Hold Cleaning
Frequently asked — Cargo Hold Cleaning at Karwar
Do you provide cargo hold cleaning at Karwar Port?
Yes. Cleanship Marine works Karwar Port (INKRW) in Karnataka, India, covering the berths inside the bay and anchorage. Teams mobilise via Goa (GOI) or Hubballi (HBX) with the full spread.
Can cargo hold cleaning be done while the vessel works cargo at Karwar?
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 Karwar and tell you honestly whether the window you have is enough.
How are hold washings and cargo residues disposed of at Karwar?
To MARPOL Annex V, through the reception route agreed with Karnataka 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 Karwar is limited, we change the plan rather than the paperwork.
Where is the work done at Karwar — 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.
Which vessels do you carry out cargo hold cleaning on at Karwar?
Handysize bulk carriers, General cargo ships, Support and naval auxiliary craft — the traffic at Karwar Port runs to iron ore and bauxite, coal, sugar, 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 Karwar?
Crews and equipment mobilise via Goa (GOI) or Hubballi (HBX). 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 Belekeri or Mormugao, one mobilisation is often sized to cover both.
What does cargo hold cleaning at Karwar 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 Karwar 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 Karwar and you get a scoped price, usually the same working day.
Cargo Hold Cleaning (Shore Gang) at Karwar Port.
Tell us the vessel, her ETA at Karwar and the window. You get a scope, a crew size and an honest duration — usually the same working day.