Ratnagiri Port · INRTC

Cargo Hold Cleaning (Shore Gang) at Ratnagiri 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 Ratnagiri Port, Maharashtra, to clean cargo holds between fixtures — sweeping, washing, rinsing and drying to the standard the next cargo demands, worked at the inner harbour berths and anchorage.

Ratnagiri is a Maharashtra Maritime Board port on the Konkan coast working coal and general cargo alongside a substantial fishing fleet, and it sits close to the bulk terminal at Jaigad. Traffic is coastal and regional rather than liner, so underwater work is usually planned against a lay-up or waiting period rather than a berth window.

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 Ratnagiri

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 Maharashtra 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: Inner harbour berths · Anchorage · Jaigad terminal nearby
Vessels we see here: Handysize bulk carriers · Coastal tonnage · Fishing and support craft

What we do at Ratnagiri

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

Planning the window at Ratnagiri

The south-west monsoon governs the calendar at Ratnagiri 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 Ratnagiri or 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 Ratnagiri

Coal and bauxite are the recurring residues at Ratnagiri, on smaller tonnage that often waits at anchorage between fixtures. That waiting time is the opportunity: the holds can be worked properly at anchor rather than squeezed against a berth that was never going to be held open for them.

The standing residues at Ratnagiri Port are coal, bauxite and general cargo — 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.

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 Ratnagiri

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

Ratnagiri Port at a glance

UN/LOCODE: INRTC
Port type: State Port
State: Maharashtra
Country: India
Water body: Arabian Sea, Konkan coast
Port authority: Maharashtra Maritime Board
Main cargoes: Coal, Bauxite, General cargo, Fishing catch
Crew mobilisation: Ratnagiri / Mumbai (BOM) / Goa (GOI)
Services here: Hull Cleaning and Hold Cleaning

Frequently asked — Cargo Hold Cleaning at Ratnagiri

Do you provide cargo hold cleaning at Ratnagiri Port?

Yes. Cleanship Marine works Ratnagiri Port (INRTC) in Maharashtra, India, covering the inner harbour berths, anchorage and Jaigad terminal nearby. Teams mobilise via Ratnagiri or Mumbai (BOM) with the full spread.

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

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

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

To MARPOL Annex V, through the reception route agreed with Maharashtra 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 Ratnagiri is limited, we change the plan rather than the paperwork.

Where is the work done at Ratnagiri — 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 Ratnagiri?

Handysize bulk carriers, Coastal tonnage, Fishing and support craft — the traffic at Ratnagiri Port runs to coal, bauxite and general cargo, 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 Ratnagiri?

Crews and equipment mobilise via Ratnagiri or 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 Mormugao or Mumbai, one mobilisation is often sized to cover both.

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

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