Pipavav Port · INPAV

Offshore Vessel Tank Cleaning at Pipavav Port

Mud, brine and base oil tanks turned round between charters

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

Cleanship Marine cleans offshore support vessel tanks at Pipavav Port, Gujarat — 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 Pipavav

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 south-west monsoon sets the outer limits of the calendar, roughly June to September, and it affects the anchorage far more than the berth. Approval runs through Gujarat Pipavav 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: Container berths · Bulk berths · RoRo berth · Anchorage
Vessels we see here: Container ships · Pure car and truck carriers · Bulk carriers · Product tankers

What we do at Pipavav

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 Pipavav
Tank-by-tank completion record for the vessel and the charterer

Planning the window at Pipavav

The south-west monsoon governs the calendar at Pipavav Port, roughly June to September. Swell and reduced surface visibility close most open-water work on this coast for the duration, and the weeks either side are unreliable rather than unusable. 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 Diu (DIU) or Rajkot (RAJ), 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 Pipavav

The liquid side at Pipavav is product and chemical parcels on smaller tonnage, with the terminal setting the conditions for work alongside. The port's sheltered all-weather water makes the anchorage a reliable fallback where the berth will not carry it.

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.

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 Pipavav

1
Scope and vessel details
Tell us the vessel, her particulars, the prior and next grade and the window at Pipavav. 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 Gujarat Pipavav 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 Pipavav the disposal route is the item that most often sets the schedule, so it is fixed first.
3
Mobilisation to Pipavav
Crews, pumps, machines and chemicals mobilise via Diu (DIU) or Rajkot (RAJ). Where a vessel is also calling at Bhavnagar, 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.

Pipavav Port at a glance

UN/LOCODE: INPAV
Port type: Private Port
State: Gujarat
Country: India
Water body: Arabian Sea off Saurashtra
Port authority: Gujarat Pipavav Port Limited
Main cargoes: Containers, Dry bulk, RoRo and automobiles, Liquid bulk, Fertiliser
Crew mobilisation: Diu (DIU) / Rajkot (RAJ)
Services here: Hull Cleaning, Hold Cleaning and Tank Cleaning

Frequently asked — OSV Tank Cleaning at Pipavav

Do you provide offshore vessel tank cleaning at Pipavav Port?

Yes. Cleanship Marine works Pipavav Port (INPAV) in Gujarat, India, covering the container berths, bulk berths, RoRo berth and anchorage. Teams mobilise via Diu (DIU) or Rajkot (RAJ) with the full spread.

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

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 Pipavav and tell you honestly whether the window you have is enough.

How is slop and sludge disposal handled at Pipavav?

Through licensed reception, booked with Gujarat Pipavav Port Limited and the terminal operator before the tanks are opened. At Pipavav 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 Pipavav — 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 Pipavav?

Container ships, Pure car and truck carriers, Bulk carriers, Product tankers — the traffic at Pipavav Port runs to containers, dry bulk, roro and automobiles, 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 Pipavav?

Crews and equipment mobilise via Diu (DIU) or Rajkot (RAJ). 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 Mundra, one mobilisation is often sized to cover both.

What does offshore vessel tank cleaning at Pipavav 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 Pipavav. 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 Pipavav and you get a scoped price, usually the same working day.

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