Demucking
The heavy residue that washing alone will not lift
- Manual mucking of sludge, wax, scale and cargo solids
- Vacuum and pump-out recovery for pumpable residues
- Full enclosed-space entry regime with standby rescue
Get a quote
Tell us the vessel, the port and the window. Scoped reply, usually the same working day.
After enough voyages, every tank accumulates material that no cleaning machine will move — settled sludge, oxidised wax, rust scale and cargo solids compacted around bellmouths, framing and suction wells. Demucking is the physical removal of that material, and it is the step that usually stands between a tank and a class survey or a hot-work permit.
Our teams work under full enclosed-space entry procedure with continuous gas monitoring, forced ventilation and a standby rescue team. Material is bagged or pumped out, quantified, and landed to an approved reception facility with full disposal documentation.
What you get
- Manual mucking of sludge, wax, scale and cargo solids
- Vacuum and pump-out recovery for pumpable residues
- Full enclosed-space entry regime with standby rescue
- Quantified removal with disposal manifests
- Prepares tanks for survey, repair or hot work
Where we deliver this
- UAE
- Singapore
- India
- Sri Lanka
- Lomé
Scope of work
What is included as standard. Anything outside this is quoted separately and flagged before mobilisation, never added afterwards.
- 01
Tank entry preparation
Ventilation, gas testing, lighting, access rigging and rescue arrangements are established before any entry is authorised.
- 02
Manual residue removal
Sludge, wax and scale are removed by hand from tank bottoms, suction wells, bellmouths, heating coils and structural pockets.
- 03
Vacuum and pump-out
Pumpable residues are recovered by vacuum unit or portable pump directly to slop tanks, road tankers or barges.
- 04
Scale and hard deposit removal
Adhered rust scale and hardened deposits are removed by scraping, chipping or hydroblasting where the coating system permits.
- 05
Waste handling and documentation
Recovered material is quantified, transferred to licensed reception facilities and documented with manifests for the vessel's MARPOL records.
How we deliver it
- 01
Assessment and quantification
Tank condition is surveyed and the residue volume estimated so manpower, equipment and disposal capacity are correctly sized.
- 02
Permit and entry setup
Enclosed-space entry permits are raised, ventilation established and atmosphere confirmed and continuously monitored.
- 03
Removal operations
Teams work in controlled rotations with an attendant at the entry point and rescue equipment rigged and manned.
- 04
Final clean and handover
The tank is washed down, drained and presented for inspection, with disposal documentation issued.
Frequently asked
How long does demucking take?
It scales with residue volume rather than tank size. A lightly fouled tank may take a shift; heavily compacted sludge in a large crude tank can run several days with multiple rotating teams. We survey first and quote against an estimated volume rather than a flat guess.
Is hot work possible immediately after demucking?
Not automatically. Demucking removes the material, but hot work requires a gas-free-for-hot-work certificate issued by a competent person after testing, which we arrange as a separate and independent step.
We always ready to serve you.
Tell us the vessel, the port and the window. You get a scope, a crew size and an honest duration — usually the same working day.