Okha Port · INOKH

Cargo Hold Cleaning (Shore Gang) at Okha 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 Okha Port, Gujarat, to clean cargo holds between fixtures — sweeping, washing, rinsing and drying to the standard the next cargo demands, worked at the jetty berths and anchorage off the port.

Okha is a Gujarat Maritime Board port at the tip of the Saurashtra peninsula, working salt, bauxite and bentonite along with coastal traffic. It also serves as a shelter and bunkering call for vessels entering the Gulf of Kutch, which puts idle tonnage within reach of a dive team already working the Kandla and Mundra range.

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 Okha

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 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: Jetty berths · Anchorage off the port
Vessels we see here: Handysize bulk carriers · Coastal tankers · Barges and support craft

What we do at Okha

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

Planning the window at Okha

The south-west monsoon governs the calendar at Okha 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 Porbandar (PBD) or Jamnagar (JGA), 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 Okha

Salt and bentonite are the standing residues at Okha and both are hygroscopic: they cake into the frames and tank-top corners and go hard if the holds are shut up damp. Bentonite in particular has to come out completely before anything food-grade, and it does not come out by sweeping.

Okha Port runs salt, bauxite and bentonite 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 Okha

1
Scope and vessel details
Tell us the vessel, her particulars, the last and next cargo and the window at Okha. 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 Okha, not an assurance. Where reception is limited, the plan changes rather than the paperwork.
3
Mobilisation to Okha
Gangs, pumps, chemicals and equipment mobilise via Porbandar (PBD) or Jamnagar (JGA). Where a vessel is also calling at Kandla, 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.

Okha Port at a glance

UN/LOCODE: INOKH
Port type: State Port
State: Gujarat
Country: India
Water body: Entrance to the Gulf of Kutch
Port authority: Gujarat Maritime Board
Main cargoes: Salt, Bauxite, Bentonite, General cargo, Coastal fuel
Crew mobilisation: Porbandar (PBD) / Jamnagar (JGA)
Services here: Hull Cleaning, Hold Cleaning and Tank Cleaning

Frequently asked — Cargo Hold Cleaning at Okha

Do you provide cargo hold cleaning at Okha Port?

Yes. Cleanship Marine works Okha Port (INOKH) in Gujarat, India, covering the jetty berths and anchorage off the port. Teams mobilise via Porbandar (PBD) or Jamnagar (JGA) with the full spread.

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

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

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

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 Okha is limited, we change the plan rather than the paperwork.

Where is the work done at Okha — 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 Okha?

Handysize bulk carriers, Coastal tankers, Barges and support craft — the traffic at Okha Port runs to salt, bauxite and bentonite, 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 Okha?

Crews and equipment mobilise via Porbandar (PBD) or Jamnagar (JGA). 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 Kandla or Porbandar, one mobilisation is often sized to cover both.

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

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