Karnataka · INBLK

Hold Cleaning at Belekeri Port

Holds ready for the next fixture at Belekeri Port — an ore lighterage anchorage on the Karnataka coast.

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Tell us the vessel, the port and the window. Scoped reply, usually the same working day.

Cleanship Marine cleans cargo holds at Belekeri Port (INBLK), Karnataka — shore gangs alongside, riding crews on the passage out, and IRATA rope access teams for the upper hold. The standard is the one the next fixture demands, and the residue and washings are disposed of to MARPOL Annex V rather than left with the master.

Belekeri is a state-run ore port in Uttara Kannada district that works through anchorage lighterage rather than deep-water berths. Bulk carriers loading iron ore and manganese sit off the port for extended periods while barges shuttle cargo out to them, and that long idle time at anchor in warm coastal water is exactly the pattern that lets hull fouling establish before the vessel ever sails.

Working conditions at Belekeri

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 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: Outer anchorage · Lighterage transfer position
Vessels we see here: Handysize and Supramax bulk carriers · Lighterage barges and tugs

Hold Cleaning scopes at Belekeri

3 scopes, one team and one mobilisation. Most vessels calling here take more than one on the same attendance.

Planning the window at Belekeri

The south-west monsoon governs the calendar at Belekeri 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 Hubballi (HBX) or Goa (GOI), 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 Belekeri

Ore fines are the whole job here. Belekeri loads through barges, so the holds take repeated part-loads over a longer exposure than a single berth call would give, and the fines work deep into the frames and tank-top margins. Anything going on to a clean cargo needs the full chemical treatment and rinse, and the long wait at anchorage is the time to do it.

The standing residues at Belekeri Port are iron ore, manganese ore and bauxite — 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.

How we deliver it at Belekeri

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

Belekeri Port at a glance

UN/LOCODE: INBLK
Port type: State Port
State: Karnataka
Country: India
Water body: Arabian Sea
Port authority: Karnataka Maritime Board
Main cargoes: Iron ore, Manganese ore, Bauxite, Coal
Crew mobilisation: Hubballi (HBX) / Goa (GOI)
Services here: Hull Cleaning and Hold Cleaning

Frequently asked — Belekeri Port

Does Cleanship provide hold cleaning at Belekeri Port?

Yes. We cover the full hold cleaning scope at Belekeri Port (INBLK), Karnataka — cargo hold cleaning (shore gang), hold cleaning riding crew and rope access hold cleaning. Teams mobilise via Hubballi (HBX) or Goa (GOI).

Where is the work done at Belekeri — 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.

Who approves hold cleaning work at Belekeri?

Karnataka Maritime Board issues the port-side approval at Belekeri Port, with terminal approval on top where the berth requires it. We arrange both, along with the waste reception and disposal route, so it does not fall to the agent or the master.

Which vessels call at Belekeri?

Handysize and Supramax bulk carriers, Lighterage barges and tugs — Belekeri Port is an ore lighterage anchorage on the Karnataka coast, handling iron ore, manganese ore, bauxite and coal. Those are the profiles we see most, and the scope is sized to the vessel rather than to a standard package.

Can this be done without taking the vessel off hire at Belekeri?

Yes — that is the point of it. Every scope listed here is carried out with the vessel afloat and working, at the berth, at the anchorage or on the passage out. Shore gangs work alongside or at anchorage and riding crews finish on the passage, so no port time is spent on cleaning and the vessel is never off hire.

Do you cover other ports near Belekeri?

Yes. Karwar, Mormugao and Mangalore all sit within the same operating range for hold cleaning, and a single mobilisation is often sized to cover more than one vessel on the same trip. We work 45 ports on the coverage list for this line.

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