Karnataka · INBLK

Hull Cleaning at Belekeri Port

In-water hull, propeller and survey work 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 provides the full underwater scope at Belekeri Port (INBLK), Karnataka — hull cleaning, propeller super polishing, bow and stern thruster work, class-approved in-water survey and UWILD. Every scope is carried out with the vessel afloat and on hire, at the berth or at the anchorage.

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

Belekeri is an open roadstead, so underwater work is done with the vessel riding to her anchor rather than alongside a berth. The south-west monsoon between June and September closes the practical season, and cleaning is planned into the fair-weather months either side of it. Visibility in the Arabian Sea here is workable outside the monsoon, but ore dust suspended around active lighterage cuts it sharply, so divers work up-current of the transfer barges wherever the anchorage allows.

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

Hull Cleaning scopes at Belekeri

5 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. Work here is done with the vessel riding to her anchor, so the dive plan is built around sea state and swell rather than a berth slot, and the team stands by for a workable window rather than a scheduled one.

Work is taken at the outer anchorage and lighterage transfer position, and which of those a vessel ends up at changes the dive plan more than the season does. 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

Dry bulk handling here puts cargo dust into the water around the berths and anchorage. It settles on horizontal surfaces and packs into sea chest gratings and inlet openings, so inlet and grating clearance is routinely a larger part of the job at Belekeri than owners budget for.

Vessels here sit at anchor for long periods, and a stationary hull in warm water is the ideal fouling substrate. The heaviest growth we lift at this port is almost always off a vessel that has been waiting rather than working.

How we deliver it at Belekeri

1
Scope and vessel details
Tell us the vessel, her particulars, the coating specification 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
Permits and approvals
Diving permission is obtained from Karnataka Maritime Board, along with terminal approval where the berth requires it and any environmental clearance for in-water work. This is handled by us, not left with the agent to chase.
3
Mobilisation to Belekeri
Divers, compressors, brush carts and cameras mobilise via Hubballi (HBX) or Goa (GOI). Where a vessel is also calling at Karwar, one mobilisation is normally sized to cover both.
4
Safety setup and the dive
The vessel is secured for diving — main engine, shaft and thrusters immobilised, sea suctions confirmed shut, permit agreed with the master. Teams work under surface supervision with continuous diver communications and video throughout.
5
Report and handover
A completion report covering hull cleaning is issued with before-and-after imagery, coating and anode condition 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 hull cleaning at Belekeri Port?

Yes. We cover the full hull cleaning scope at Belekeri Port (INBLK), Karnataka — underwater hull cleaning, propeller polishing, thruster cleaning & polishing, in-water class survey and uwild. Teams mobilise via Hubballi (HBX) or Goa (GOI).

What is underwater visibility like at Belekeri?

Visibility at Belekeri Port is generally workable outside the monsoon, though cargo dust from lighterage reduces it sharply near an active transfer, and the south-west monsoon sets the outer limits of the calendar. How the tide and sea state shape the dive plan is set out in full in the working-conditions section on this page.

Who approves hull 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 any environmental clearance for in-water cleaning, 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. Divers work with the vessel afloat at the berth or the anchorage, so there is no dry dock, no diversion and no off-hire.

Do you cover other ports near Belekeri?

Yes. Karwar, Mormugao and Mangalore all sit within the same operating range for hull cleaning, and a single mobilisation is often sized to cover more than one vessel on the same trip. We work 46 ports on the coverage list for this line.

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