Cargo Hold Cleaning (Shore Gang) at Mumbai 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 Mumbai Port, Maharashtra, to clean cargo holds between fixtures — sweeping, washing, rinsing and drying to the standard the next cargo demands, worked at the Indira and Jawahar dock berths, Jawahar Dweep and Pir Pau oil jetties.
Mumbai Port handles liquid bulk at Jawahar Dweep, general and project cargo in the docks, and serves as the shore base for offshore activity in the Bombay High field. The offshore support fleet working out of here is one of the most regular users of in-water cleaning and survey anywhere in India.
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 Mumbai
Most of the work at this port happens at the anchorage, simply because that is where vessels spend their 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 Mumbai Port Authority and the terminal, and the disposal route for residues and washings is fixed before the gang boards rather than found afterwards.
- Where we work
- Indira and Jawahar dock berths · Jawahar Dweep and Pir Pau oil jetties · Harbour anchorages
- Vessels we see here
- Crude and product tankers · General cargo ships · Offshore support vessels · Cruise ships · Harbour craft and tugs
What we do at Mumbai
- 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 Mumbai
- Hold-by-hold photographic record and a completion report ahead of the inspection
Planning the window at Mumbai
The south-west monsoon governs the calendar at Mumbai 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. 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 Mumbai (BOM), 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 Mumbai
Mumbai is general and project cargo rather than dirty bulk, so the hold job here is dunnage, lashing waste, rust scale, bilge wells and tank tops — preparation for the next fixture rather than recovery from the last. The long harbour anchorage waits are what make it practical to do properly.
Traffic here is general and project cargo, so the hold scope is dunnage, lashing residue, rust scale, bilge wells and tank tops rather than a bulk wash — preparation work against the next fixture rather than recovery from the last one.
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 Mumbai
- 1
Scope and vessel details
Tell us the vessel, her particulars, the last and next cargo and the window at Mumbai. 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 Mumbai Port Authority 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 Mumbai, not an assurance. Where reception is limited, the plan changes rather than the paperwork.
- 3
Mobilisation to Mumbai
Gangs, pumps, chemicals and equipment mobilise via Mumbai (BOM). Where a vessel is also calling at Nhava Sheva, 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.
Mumbai Port at a glance
- UN/LOCODE
- INBOM
- Port type
- Major Port
- State
- Maharashtra
- Country
- India
- Water body
- Arabian Sea, Mumbai harbour
- Port authority
- Mumbai Port Authority
- Main cargoes
- POL, General and project cargo, Steel, Cruise, Offshore support
- Crew mobilisation
- Mumbai (BOM)
- Services here
- Hull Cleaning, Hold Cleaning and Tank Cleaning
Frequently asked — Cargo Hold Cleaning at Mumbai
Do you provide cargo hold cleaning at Mumbai Port?
Yes. Cleanship Marine works Mumbai Port (INBOM) in Maharashtra, India, covering the Indira and Jawahar dock berths, Jawahar Dweep and Pir Pau oil jetties, harbour anchorages. Teams mobilise via Mumbai (BOM) with the full spread.
Can cargo hold cleaning be done while the vessel works cargo at Mumbai?
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 Mumbai and tell you honestly whether the window you have is enough.
How are hold washings and cargo residues disposed of at Mumbai?
To MARPOL Annex V, through the reception route agreed with Mumbai Port Authority 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 Mumbai is limited, we change the plan rather than the paperwork.
Where is the work done at Mumbai — 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 Mumbai?
Crude and product tankers, General cargo ships, Offshore support vessels, Cruise ships, Harbour craft and tugs — the traffic at Mumbai Port runs to pol, general and project cargo, steel, 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 Mumbai?
Crews and equipment mobilise via Mumbai (BOM). 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 Nhava Sheva or Dahanu, one mobilisation is often sized to cover both.
What does cargo hold cleaning at Mumbai 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 Mumbai 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 Mumbai and you get a scoped price, usually the same working day.
Cargo Hold Cleaning (Shore Gang) at Mumbai Port.
Tell us the vessel, her ETA at Mumbai and the window. You get a scope, a crew size and an honest duration — usually the same working day.