Odisha · INDMA

Hull Cleaning at Dhamra Port

In-water hull, propeller and survey work at Dhamra Port — Capesize dry bulk tonnage on the Odisha 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 Dhamra Port (INDMA), Odisha — 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.

Dhamra is a privately operated deep-water port on the Odisha coast built around dry bulk, feeding coal and iron ore into the eastern steel and power belt. The Capesize and Panamax bulk carriers calling here carry the largest wetted hull areas of any traffic in India, which is also where the absolute fuel saving from a clean hull is largest.

Working conditions at Dhamra

Dhamra is a deep-draft port that regularly takes Capesize tonnage, so a hull job here is a large-area job and needs dive planning and crew sizing to match — an optimistic single-shift estimate is how these turn into overruns. The Bay of Bengal cyclone seasons in April to June and again from October to December govern the anchorage window. Water off the Dhamra river mouth carries estuarine silt that keeps visibility low, so working alongside is the better option whenever the berth slot allows it.

Where we work: Deep-draft bulk berths · Outer anchorage
Vessels we see here: Capesize and Panamax bulk carriers · LNG carriers

Hull Cleaning scopes at Dhamra

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

Planning the window at Dhamra

The north-east monsoon governs the calendar at Dhamra Port, roughly October to December. The Bay of Bengal also carries cyclone risk in April to June and again from October to December, so an anchorage attendance on this coast is planned with a standby allowance rather than a single fixed date. Because the harbour is sheltered, work here normally runs alongside or at a protected anchorage and can proceed in parallel with cargo operations rather than competing with them for the berth window.

Work is taken at the deep-draft bulk berths and outer anchorage, and which of those a vessel ends up at changes the dive plan more than the season does. Teams mobilise via Bhubaneswar (BBI), 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 Dhamra

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 Dhamra than owners budget for.

Shelter is a mixed blessing for a hull. The same calm that makes the port easy to work in is still water, and still water grows fouling faster than an exposed berth does.

How we deliver it at Dhamra

1
Scope and vessel details
Tell us the vessel, her particulars, the coating specification and the window at Dhamra. 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 Dhamra Port Company, 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 Dhamra
Divers, compressors, brush carts and cameras mobilise via Bhubaneswar (BBI). Where a vessel is also calling at Paradip, 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.

Dhamra Port at a glance

UN/LOCODE: INDMA
Port type: Private Port
State: Odisha
Country: India
Water body: Bay of Bengal
Port authority: Dhamra Port Company
Main cargoes: Thermal and coking coal, Iron ore, Limestone, LNG
Crew mobilisation: Bhubaneswar (BBI)
Services here: Hull Cleaning, Hold Cleaning and Tank Cleaning

Frequently asked — Dhamra Port

Does Cleanship provide hull cleaning at Dhamra Port?

Yes. We cover the full hull cleaning scope at Dhamra Port (INDMA), Odisha — underwater hull cleaning, propeller polishing, thruster cleaning & polishing, in-water class survey and uwild. Teams mobilise via Bhubaneswar (BBI).

What is underwater visibility like at Dhamra?

Visibility at Dhamra Port is moderate, and it drops further around active bulk handling and after heavy rain, and the north-east 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 Dhamra?

Dhamra Port Company issues the port-side approval at Dhamra 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 Dhamra?

Capesize and Panamax bulk carriers, LNG carriers — Dhamra Port is Capesize dry bulk tonnage on the Odisha coast, handling thermal and coking coal, iron ore, limestone, lng. 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 Dhamra?

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 Dhamra?

Yes. Paradip, Haldia and Kolkata 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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