Tamil Nadu · INENR

Hull Cleaning at Ennore Port

In-water hull, propeller and survey work at Ennore Port — coal and car carrier traffic north of Chennai.

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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 Ennore Port (INENR), Tamil Nadu — 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.

Kamarajar Port at Ennore is the dedicated coal and automobile port serving Chennai's industrial hinterland, and it took over the dirty bulk traffic that used to run through Chennai Port itself. Coal carriers on repeat voyages and car carriers on liner schedules are the two profiles most often booked for underwater work here.

Working conditions at Ennore

Ennore is a modern breakwater harbour just north of Chennai, so alongside work is sheltered and normally runs in parallel with cargo operations. The north-east monsoon from October to December sets the anchorage window; outside it the Bay of Bengal here is generally workable. Coal handling puts fine dust into the harbour water, so visibility around the bulk berths is materially lower than at the RoRo and liquid terminals a few hundred metres away — worth knowing before a survey scope is priced.

Where we work: Coal berths · RoRo berths · Liquid terminals · Anchorage
Vessels we see here: Bulk carriers · Pure car and truck carriers · LNG carriers · Product tankers

Hull Cleaning scopes at Ennore

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

Planning the window at Ennore

The north-east monsoon governs the calendar at Ennore 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 coal berths, RoRo berths, liquid terminals and anchorage, and which of those a vessel ends up at changes the dive plan more than the season does. Teams mobilise via Chennai (MAA), 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 Ennore

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 Ennore 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 Ennore

1
Scope and vessel details
Tell us the vessel, her particulars, the coating specification and the window at Ennore. 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 Kamarajar Port Limited, 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 Ennore
Divers, compressors, brush carts and cameras mobilise via Chennai (MAA). Where a vessel is also calling at Chennai, 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.

Ennore Port at a glance

UN/LOCODE: INENR
Port type: Major Port
State: Tamil Nadu
Country: India
Water body: Bay of Bengal
Port authority: Kamarajar Port Limited
Main cargoes: Thermal coal, Automobiles and RoRo, LNG, POL, General cargo
Crew mobilisation: Chennai (MAA)
Services here: Hull Cleaning, Hold Cleaning and Tank Cleaning

Frequently asked — Ennore Port

Does Cleanship provide hull cleaning at Ennore Port?

Yes. We cover the full hull cleaning scope at Ennore Port (INENR), Tamil Nadu — underwater hull cleaning, propeller polishing, thruster cleaning & polishing, in-water class survey and uwild. Teams mobilise via Chennai (MAA).

What is underwater visibility like at Ennore?

Visibility at Ennore 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 Ennore?

Kamarajar Port Limited issues the port-side approval at Ennore 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 Ennore?

Bulk carriers, Pure car and truck carriers, LNG carriers, Product tankers — Ennore Port is coal and car carrier traffic north of Chennai, handling thermal coal, automobiles and roro, lng, pol, general cargo. 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 Ennore?

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 Ennore?

Yes. Chennai, Krishnapatnam and Kakinada 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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