Kakinada Port · INKAK

Shore Tank Cleaning at Kakinada Port

Terminal tanks returned to service, safely certified

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

Cleanship Marine cleans shore storage tanks at the terminals serving Kakinada Port, Andhra Pradesh — product changeovers, inspection preparation and statutory maintenance, delivered under a full enclosed-space and hot-work regime.

A shore tank out of service is storage capacity earning nothing, so the schedule matters as much as the standard. 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. Work is planned with the terminal's own permit system and safety case, and the certification chain — gas-free, entry, hot work where needed — is treated as the critical path it actually is.

What it gets you

Tank returned to service on a schedule the terminal can plan around
Inspection or recoating preparation done to a standard the inspector accepts
Waste and sludge disposal fully documented
Work carried out under the terminal's permit system, not alongside it

Working conditions at Kakinada

Most of the work at this port happens at the anchorage, simply because that is where vessels spend their time. 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 Kakinada Seaports and the Andhra Pradesh Maritime Board 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: 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

What we do at Kakinada

Method statement and risk assessment agreed with the terminal before mobilisation
Draining, purging, gas-freeing and atmosphere monitoring throughout
Sludge and residue removal, floor and shell cleaning, roof and internal structure
Preparation for internal inspection, thickness measurement or recoating
Waste transferred to licensed disposal under the rules in force at Kakinada
Certification and completion documentation for the terminal's records

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. The waiting time here is what makes the job practical. Tanks can be worked at anchorage under a proper entry regime rather than squeezed against a berth clock, which is the difference between a specification clean and a visual one.

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

Kakinada moves edible oil parcels, which carry the strictest specifications in the trade: prior-cargo restrictions and wall-wash results set the standard, and a tank that looks clean can still fail on analysis. The offshore support fleet based here adds mud, brine and base oil tank work on an entirely different cycle.

Edible oil parcels move through Kakinada Port, and those are the strictest specifications in the trade. Prior-cargo restrictions and wall-wash results set the standard, not the visual condition, and a tank that looks clean can still fail on analysis.

Standard scope of work

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

Product and residue removal: Remaining product is stripped and transferred, and pumpable sludge is recovered to nominated tankage or road tankers.
Sludge treatment and oil recovery: Where volumes justify it, sludge is treated to recover saleable hydrocarbon and reduce the mass sent to disposal.
Washing and degreasing: Shell, floor, roof structure and internal fittings are washed and degreased to the standard required by the next activity.
Gas-freeing and monitoring: Forced ventilation to safe-for-entry or gas-free-for-hot-work condition, with continuous atmospheric monitoring throughout occupancy.
Inspection preparation: Floor plates, annular rings, weld seams and roof supports are cleaned to a condition that allows meaningful thickness measurement and visual inspection.

Full Shore Tank Cleaning service details

How we deliver it at Kakinada

1
Scope and vessel details
Tell us the vessel, her particulars, the prior and next grade 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
Approvals, slops and certification
Terminal and port approval for tank work is obtained from Kakinada Seaports and the Andhra Pradesh Maritime Board and the terminal operator, licensed slop and sludge reception is booked, and marine chemist attendance is arranged where the grade change requires it. At Kakinada the disposal route is the item that most often sets the schedule, so it is fixed first.
3
Mobilisation to Kakinada
Crews, pumps, machines and chemicals mobilise via Rajahmundry (RJA) or Visakhapatnam (VTZ). Where a vessel is also calling at Visakhapatnam, 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 shore 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.

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 — Shore Tank Cleaning at Kakinada

Do you provide shore tank cleaning at Kakinada Port?

Yes. Cleanship Marine works Kakinada Port (INKAK) in Andhra Pradesh, India, covering the deep water port berths, anchorage port lighterage position and outer anchorage. Teams mobilise via Rajahmundry (RJA) or Visakhapatnam (VTZ) with the full spread.

Can shore tank cleaning be done while the vessel works cargo at Kakinada?

Usually not at the berth — but that matters less here, because vessels wait. Tank work is taken at the anchorage under a full entry regime, which gives a specification clean the time it actually needs. The vessel stays on hire throughout, and there is no diversion and no dry dock. We scope against the conditions at Kakinada and tell you honestly whether the window you have is enough.

How is slop and sludge disposal handled at Kakinada?

Through licensed reception, booked with Kakinada Seaports and the Andhra Pradesh Maritime Board and the terminal operator before the tanks are opened. At Kakinada 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 Kakinada — alongside, at anchorage or on passage?

Most of the work at this port happens at the anchorage, simply because that is where vessels spend their time.

Which vessels do you carry out shore tank cleaning on at Kakinada?

Handysize and Supramax bulk carriers, Product and chemical tankers, Offshore support vessels — the traffic at Kakinada Port runs to agricultural bulk and rice, fertiliser, edible oil, 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 Kakinada?

Crews and equipment mobilise via Rajahmundry (RJA) or Visakhapatnam (VTZ). 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 Visakhapatnam or Krishnapatnam, one mobilisation is often sized to cover both.

What does shore tank cleaning at Kakinada 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 Kakinada. 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 Kakinada and you get a scoped price, usually the same working day.

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