Colombo Port · LKCMB

Offshore Vessel Tank Cleaning at Colombo Port

Mud, brine and base oil tanks turned round between charters

Get a quote

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

Cleanship Marine cleans offshore support vessel tanks at Colombo Port, Western Province — drilling mud, brine, base oil, cement and bulk tanks turned round between charters and prepared for the next product.

An OSV between charters is an asset earning nothing, and the tank turnaround is usually the item on the critical path. The products involved — mud, brine, base oil, cement — each leave a different residue and need a different method, so the plan is built product by product rather than tank by tank.

What it gets you

Vessel handed to the next charter on time rather than held on the tank turnaround
Cross-contamination between products avoided
Inspection passed at the first attempt
Disposal documented, not improvised

Working conditions at Colombo

Work here runs both alongside and at anchorage depending on the call, and on the passage out where neither gives enough time. The two monsoons sets the outer limits of the calendar, the south-west from May to September and the north-east from December to February, and it affects the anchorage far more than the berth. Humidity is high year-round rather than seasonal, so enclosed-space work here is planned with ventilation and rest cycles in every month, not just the summer. Approval runs through Sri Lanka Ports Authority and the terminal operator, and licensed slop reception is booked before the tanks are opened — at most ports on this list that booking, not the cleaning, is what sets the date.

Where we work: Container terminal berths · Bunkering anchorage · General cargo quays
Vessels we see here: Main-line and feeder container ships · Bunker tankers and barges · General cargo ships · Cruise ships

What we do at Colombo

Product-specific cleaning plan for mud, brine, base oil, cement and bulk tanks
Gas-freeing, atmosphere testing and enclosed-space entry certification
Manual and mechanical cleaning of tanks, lines, valves and pump rooms
Preparation and presentation for the incoming charterer's inspection
Residue and washings disposed of through licensed reception at Colombo
Tank-by-tank completion record for the vessel and the charterer

Planning the window at Colombo

The two monsoons governs the calendar at Colombo Port, the south-west from May to September and the north-east from December to February. For tank work it is the anchorage that suffers — where the terminal will not permit work alongside, weather that closes the anchorage closes the job. Whether the work runs alongside, at anchorage or on passage depends on the terminal and the grade, so the plan is built against the actual call. Where a terminal will not permit tank work at the berth, we say so at quoting stage rather than after mobilisation.

Cleanship holds an operating base at Colombo, so we can hold a team ready against a shifting ETA rather than committing travel to a date that may move.

What we typically find at Colombo

Product parcels and bunkers dominate the liquid traffic here, so most of the work is grade changes and fuel and slop tank cleaning rather than full chemical specification work.

What we find depends on whether the vessel has had time at anchorage or come straight off a berth, so the tank condition is confirmed on inspection rather than assumed from the previous cargo alone.

Standard scope of work

Included as standard on every offshore vessel tank cleaning attendance, wherever the vessel is. Anything outside it is quoted separately and flagged before mobilisation, never added afterwards.

Fluid recovery and stripping: Residual mud, brine and base oil are recovered and transferred to nominated tanks, road tankers or shore reception.
Tank washing: Machine and manual washing appropriate to the fluid type, with particular attention to settled solids in mud and cement tanks.
Line and pump flushing: Associated pipework, pumps and manifolds are flushed so cross-contamination does not reappear from the system after the tank is clean.
Survey preparation: Tanks are cleaned and dried to a condition suitable for coating inspection and class survey attendance.
Waste management: Recovered fluids and solids are consolidated and landed to licensed facilities with manifests issued.

Full Offshore Vessel Tank Cleaning service details

How we deliver it at Colombo

1
Scope and vessel details
Tell us the vessel, her particulars, the prior and next grade and the window at Colombo. 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, slops and certification
Sri Lanka Ports Authority runs a statutory permit process here, so the lead time is real and the application goes in early rather than on arrival. Licensed slop and sludge reception is booked and marine chemist attendance arranged where the grade change requires it. At Colombo the disposal route is the item that most often sets the schedule, so it is fixed first.
3
Mobilisation to Colombo
Cleanship holds an operating base at Colombo, so crews, pumps, machines and chemicals are on the ground rather than in transit. That is the difference between meeting a window and missing it.
4
Gas-freeing, entry and cleaning
Atmosphere testing, gas-freeing and enclosed-space entry certification come before any entry, and are repeated after every break. Standby cover and atmosphere monitoring run continuously while anyone is inside, and progress is reported tank by tank.
5
Report and handover
A completion report covering offshore vessel tank cleaning is issued with before-and-after imagery, tank by tank and anything found that you should know about. The findings are discussed with the vessel rather than emailed and forgotten.

Colombo Port at a glance

UN/LOCODE: LKCMB
Port type: Major Port
State: Western Province
Country: Sri Lanka
Water body: Indian Ocean
Port authority: Sri Lanka Ports Authority
Main cargoes: Containers and transhipment, Bunkers, General cargo, Cement and dry bulk, Tea and agricultural cargo
Crew mobilisation: Colombo (CMB)
Services here: Hull Cleaning, Hold Cleaning and Tank Cleaning

Frequently asked — OSV Tank Cleaning at Colombo

Do you provide offshore vessel tank cleaning at Colombo Port?

Yes. Cleanship Marine works Colombo Port (LKCMB) in Western Province, Sri Lanka, covering the container terminal berths, bunkering anchorage and general cargo quays. We hold an operating base at Colombo, so people and equipment are held locally rather than mobilised against a window.

Can offshore vessel tank cleaning be done while the vessel works cargo at Colombo?

It depends on the terminal and the grade. Some berths here permit tank work alongside and some do not; we establish which before the vessel arrives and plan for the anchorage or the passage where the answer is no. The vessel stays on hire throughout, and there is no diversion and no dry dock. We scope against the conditions at Colombo and tell you honestly whether the window you have is enough.

How is slop and sludge disposal handled at Colombo?

Through licensed reception, booked with Sri Lanka Ports Authority and the terminal operator before the tanks are opened. At Colombo the disposal route is usually what sets the schedule, so it is fixed first and documented tank by tank. Gas-freeing, atmosphere testing and enclosed-space entry certification are part of the same scope.

Where is the work done at Colombo — alongside, at anchorage or on passage?

Work here runs both alongside and at anchorage depending on the call, and on the passage out where neither gives enough time. Between June and September the binding constraint is working temperature inside the space rather than access to it.

Which vessels do you carry out offshore vessel tank cleaning on at Colombo?

Main-line and feeder container ships, Bunker tankers and barges, General cargo ships, Cruise ships — the traffic at Colombo Port runs to containers and transhipment, bunkers, general cargo, so those are the profiles we see most. The scope is sized to the vessel, not to a standard package.

How quickly can a team mobilise to Colombo?

Cleanship keeps an operating base at Colombo, so response here is fast — the constraint is normally the approvals and the working window rather than getting crews and equipment to the port.

What does offshore vessel tank cleaning at Colombo cost?

It depends on the tank count and volume, the prior and next grade, how much sludge is in there and whether the work runs alongside, at anchorage or on passage from Colombo. We would rather scope it properly and give you a specific figure than quote a headline rate that changes once the work starts. Send the details and the window at Colombo and you get a scoped price, usually the same working day.

Get in touch