Pepel Port · SLPEP

Cargo Hold Cleaning (Shore Gang) at Pepel 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 Pepel Port, Port Loko, to clean cargo holds between fixtures — sweeping, washing, rinsing and drying to the standard the next cargo demands, worked at the ore loading berth and Pepel anchorage.

Iron ore fines are the residue at Pepel. They are heavy, they stain and they pack into frames and hopper corners, so the next cargo usually needs a full wash — and in the rainy season a washed hold will not dry by itself.

Iron ore fines are heavy and staining, and they pack into frames, brackets and hopper corners. Ships arriving at Pepel to load ore usually need little hold preparation, but ships leaving with a different cargo next need the full sequence: dry removal, high-pressure washing and a fresh-water rinse to stop the stain and the salt staying on the steel.

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 Pepel

Most of the work at this port happens at the anchorage, simply because that is where vessels spend their time. The combination of Atlantic swell and rain sets the outer limits of the calendar, with the heaviest rain from May to October and swell running year-round, and it affects the anchorage far more than the berth. Humidity is high year-round and the rains make it worse, which matters more than temperature for enclosed-space work: holds will not dry, and a hold that cannot be dried cannot be closed. Access approval runs through Sierra Leone Ports Authority and the mine operator and the terminal, and the disposal route for residues and washings is fixed before the gang boards rather than found afterwards.

Where we work: Ore loading berth · Pepel anchorage
Vessels we see here: Handysize to Panamax bulk carriers · Barges and tugs

What we do at Pepel

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

Planning the window at Pepel

The combination of Atlantic swell and rain governs the calendar at Pepel Port, with the heaviest rain from May to October and swell running year-round. For hold work the wind matters less than the rain: holds cannot be washed, dried and closed in wet weather, and a hold shut up damp fails inspection however clean it looks. 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 Freetown Lungi (FNA), 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 Pepel

The standing residues at Pepel Port are iron ore — 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.

The other thing that shows up here is time. Vessels wait, holds sit shut with residue still in them, and residue that sits gets harder to shift — the job found after a long wait at anchorage is not the job that would have been found on the day of discharge.

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 Pepel

1
Scope and vessel details
Tell us the vessel, her particulars, the last and next cargo and the window at Pepel. 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 at Pepel Port is the terminal operator's decision as much as Sierra Leone Ports Authority and the mine operator's, so both are in the approval chain from the start — a berth-side refusal discovered at the gangway costs the whole attendance. The disposal route for residues and washings is fixed before the gang boards — MARPOL Annex V compliance is a documented chain, not an assurance. Where reception at Pepel is limited, the plan changes rather than the paperwork.
3
Mobilisation to Pepel
Gangs, pumps, chemicals and equipment mobilise via Freetown Lungi (FNA). Where a vessel is also calling at Freetown, 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.

Pepel Port at a glance

UN/LOCODE: SLPEP
Port type: Private Port
State: Port Loko
Country: Sierra Leone
Water body: Sierra Leone River estuary
Port authority: Sierra Leone Ports Authority and the mine operator
Main cargoes: Iron ore
Crew mobilisation: Freetown Lungi (FNA)
Services here: Hull Cleaning and Hold Cleaning

Frequently asked — Cargo Hold Cleaning at Pepel

Do you provide cargo hold cleaning at Pepel Port?

Yes. Cleanship Marine works Pepel Port (SLPEP) in Port Loko, Sierra Leone, covering the ore loading berth and Pepel anchorage. Teams mobilise via Freetown Lungi (FNA) with the full spread.

How are iron ore residues removed from holds?

Dry removal of the fines first, then high-pressure washing, chemical treatment for the stain where needed, and a fresh-water rinse and drying. Packed fines in frames and hopper corners take the most time.

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

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

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

To MARPOL Annex V, through the reception route agreed with Sierra Leone Ports Authority and the mine operator 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 Pepel is limited, we change the plan rather than the paperwork.

Where is the work done at Pepel — 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. Between June and September the binding constraint is working temperature inside the space rather than access to it.

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

Handysize to Panamax bulk carriers, Barges and tugs — the traffic at Pepel Port runs to iron ore, 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 Pepel?

Crews and equipment mobilise via Freetown Lungi (FNA). 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 Freetown or Conakry, one mobilisation is often sized to cover both.

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

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