Offshore Vessel Tank Cleaning at Ennore 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 Ennore Port, Tamil Nadu — 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 Ennore
Work here starts alongside, and where the berth window runs out it continues on the outward passage with a riding crew — the berth will not be held open for it. The north-east monsoon sets the outer limits of the calendar, roughly October to December, and it affects the anchorage far more than the berth. Approval runs through Kamarajar Port Limited 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
- Coal berths · RoRo berths · Liquid terminals · Anchorage
- Vessels we see here
- Bulk carriers · Pure car and truck carriers · LNG carriers · Product tankers
What we do at Ennore
- 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 Ennore
- Tank-by-tank completion record for the vessel and the charterer
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. Terminal windows here are tight and most operators will not permit tank work alongside, so the realistic plan is the anchorage or the outward passage. That is agreed before the vessel arrives, not argued at the berth.
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
Ennore handles LNG and product parcels, and the terminals set their own conditions for tank work alongside. Where the berth will not carry it the work moves to the anchorage or the outward passage, and the slop reception is booked either way rather than assumed.
Gas and specialised liquid tonnage calls here, which puts the certification chain ahead of the cleaning itself: gas-freeing, marine chemist attendance and enclosed-space entry certificates are the critical path, and the physical work is the short part of the job.
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.
How we deliver it at Ennore
- 1
Scope and vessel details
Tell us the vessel, her particulars, the prior and next grade 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
Approvals, slops and certification
Terminal and port approval for tank work is obtained from Kamarajar Port Limited and the terminal operator, licensed slop and sludge reception is booked, and marine chemist attendance is arranged where the grade change requires it. At Ennore the disposal route is the item that most often sets the schedule, so it is fixed first.
- 3
Mobilisation to Ennore
Crews, pumps, machines and chemicals mobilise via Chennai (MAA). Where a vessel is also calling at Chennai, one mobilisation is normally sized to cover both.
- 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.
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 — OSV Tank Cleaning at Ennore
Do you provide offshore vessel tank cleaning at Ennore Port?
Yes. Cleanship Marine works Ennore Port (INENR) in Tamil Nadu, India, covering the coal berths, RoRo berths, liquid terminals and anchorage. Teams mobilise via Chennai (MAA) with the full spread.
Can offshore vessel tank cleaning be done while the vessel works cargo at Ennore?
Most terminals here will not permit tank work alongside, so the plan is the anchorage or the outward passage. We confirm the terminal's position before quoting rather than discovering it at the gangway. The vessel stays on hire throughout, and there is no diversion and no dry dock. We scope against the conditions at Ennore and tell you honestly whether the window you have is enough.
How is slop and sludge disposal handled at Ennore?
Through licensed reception, booked with Kamarajar Port Limited and the terminal operator before the tanks are opened. At Ennore 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 Ennore — alongside, at anchorage or on passage?
Work here starts alongside, and where the berth window runs out it continues on the outward passage with a riding crew — the berth will not be held open for it.
Which vessels do you carry out offshore vessel tank cleaning on at Ennore?
Bulk carriers, Pure car and truck carriers, LNG carriers, Product tankers — the traffic at Ennore Port runs to thermal coal, automobiles and roro, lng, 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 Ennore?
Crews and equipment mobilise via Chennai (MAA). Give us the ETA and the window and we will confirm what is achievable rather than promise a date we cannot hold. Where the vessel also calls at Krishnapatnam or Kakinada, one mobilisation is often sized to cover both.
What does offshore vessel tank cleaning at Ennore 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 Ennore. 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 Ennore and you get a scoped price, usually the same working day.
Offshore Vessel Tank Cleaning at Ennore Port.
Tell us the vessel, her ETA at Ennore and the window. You get a scope, a crew size and an honest duration — usually the same working day.


