Andhra Pradesh · INKAK

Hull Cleaning at Kakinada Port

In-water hull, propeller and survey work at Kakinada Port — a deep-water port and a lighterage anchorage working side by side.

Get a quote

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

Cleanship Marine provides the full underwater scope at Kakinada Port (INKAK), Andhra Pradesh — 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.

Kakinada is the agricultural bulk and fertiliser gateway for the Godavari delta and a shore base for offshore activity in the Krishna-Godavari basin. Bulk carriers on grain and fertiliser parcels and offshore support vessels between charters are the two profiles that most often need underwater work here.

Working conditions at Kakinada

Kakinada runs a deep-water port and an older anchorage port side by side, so the dive plan depends entirely on which one the vessel is worked at — alongside inside the deep-water basin, or fully at anchor off the anchorage port with barges alongside. The Bay of Bengal cyclone seasons in spring and late autumn set the outer window. Godavari delta water is silty and warm, so visibility is modest and marine growth returns fast between cleans.

Where we work: Deep water port berths · Anchorage port lighterage position · Outer anchorage
Vessels we see here: Handysize and Supramax bulk carriers · Product and chemical tankers · Offshore support vessels

Hull Cleaning scopes at Kakinada

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

Planning the window at Kakinada

The north-east monsoon governs the calendar at Kakinada 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. 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 deep water port berths, anchorage port lighterage position and outer anchorage, and which of those a vessel ends up at changes the dive plan more than the season does. Teams mobilise via Rajahmundry (RJA) or Visakhapatnam (VTZ), 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 Kakinada

Liquid and gas tonnage here spends long stretches at the terminal or waiting for a slot, so growth tends to be even and well established across the hull rather than patchy — heavier than the trading pattern suggests, and further along than a speed report alone would indicate.

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 Kakinada

1
Scope and vessel details
Tell us the vessel, her particulars, the coating specification and the window at Kakinada. 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 Kakinada Seaports and the Andhra Pradesh 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 Kakinada
Divers, compressors, brush carts and cameras mobilise via Rajahmundry (RJA) or Visakhapatnam (VTZ). Where a vessel is also calling at Visakhapatnam, 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.

Kakinada Port at a glance

UN/LOCODE: INKAK
Port type: State Port
State: Andhra Pradesh
Country: India
Water body: Bay of Bengal
Port authority: Kakinada Seaports and the Andhra Pradesh Maritime Board
Main cargoes: Agricultural bulk and rice, Fertiliser, Edible oil, Cement, Offshore project cargo
Crew mobilisation: Rajahmundry (RJA) / Visakhapatnam (VTZ)
Services here: Hull Cleaning, Hold Cleaning and Tank Cleaning

Frequently asked — Kakinada Port

Does Cleanship provide hull cleaning at Kakinada Port?

Yes. We cover the full hull cleaning scope at Kakinada Port (INKAK), Andhra Pradesh — underwater hull cleaning, propeller polishing, thruster cleaning & polishing, in-water class survey and uwild. Teams mobilise via Rajahmundry (RJA) or Visakhapatnam (VTZ).

What is underwater visibility like at Kakinada?

Visibility at Kakinada Port is generally workable outside the monsoon, though cargo dust from lighterage reduces it sharply near an active transfer, 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 Kakinada?

Kakinada Seaports and the Andhra Pradesh Maritime Board issues the port-side approval at Kakinada 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 Kakinada?

Handysize and Supramax bulk carriers, Product and chemical tankers, Offshore support vessels — Kakinada Port is a deep-water port and a lighterage anchorage working side by side, handling agricultural bulk and rice, fertiliser, edible oil, cement, offshore project 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 Kakinada?

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 Kakinada?

Yes. Visakhapatnam, Gangavaram and Krishnapatnam 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.

Get in touch