Tank Demucking at Dhamra Port
Sludge out, capacity back
Get a quote
Tell us the vessel, the port and the window. Scoped reply, usually the same working day.
Cleanship Marine removes accumulated sludge, scale and sediment from cargo and bunker tanks at Dhamra Port, Odisha — the manual, enclosed-space work that washing alone will not do.
Sludge is a slow loss: it takes cargo capacity, it fouls heating coils and suctions, and it turns every subsequent tank clean into a longer job. Disposal is the part that actually governs the schedule here — the muck has to go somewhere licensed, and that is arranged before the tanks are opened.
What it gets you
- Cargo and bunker capacity recovered rather than carried as dead weight
- Heating coils and suctions cleared, restoring discharge performance
- Disposal documented through licensed reception
- Tank structure inspected while it is open and empty
Working conditions at Dhamra
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 Dhamra Port Company 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-draft bulk berths · Outer anchorage
- Vessels we see here
- Capesize and Panamax bulk carriers · LNG carriers
What we do at Dhamra
- Atmosphere testing, gas-freeing and enclosed-space entry certification before entry
- Manual removal of sludge, scale and sediment from tank bottoms, frames and structure
- Heating coils, suction wells and bell mouths cleared and confirmed
- Material bagged, transferred and tracked from tank to reception
- Disposal through licensed reception facilities at Dhamra with the paperwork to prove it
- Tank condition photographed and reported, including anything found under the sludge
Planning the window at Dhamra
The north-east monsoon governs the calendar at Dhamra 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 Bhubaneswar (BBI), 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 Dhamra
The liquid side at Dhamra is LNG, which puts the work on the gas side of the trade — inerting, gas-freeing and certification rather than washing. Conventional tank scope here is bunker and slop work on the bulk carriers calling for coal and ore.
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 tank demucking attendance, wherever the vessel is. Anything outside it is quoted separately and flagged before mobilisation, never added afterwards.
- Tank entry preparation
- Ventilation, gas testing, lighting, access rigging and rescue arrangements are established before any entry is authorised.
- Manual residue removal
- Sludge, wax and scale are removed by hand from tank bottoms, suction wells, bellmouths, heating coils and structural pockets.
- Vacuum and pump-out
- Pumpable residues are recovered by vacuum unit or portable pump directly to slop tanks, road tankers or barges.
- Scale and hard deposit removal
- Adhered rust scale and hardened deposits are removed by scraping, chipping or hydroblasting where the coating system permits.
- 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 at Dhamra
- 1
Scope and vessel details
Tell us the vessel, her particulars, the prior and next grade and the window at Dhamra. 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 Dhamra Port Company and the terminal operator, licensed slop and sludge reception is booked, and marine chemist attendance is arranged where the grade change requires it. At Dhamra the disposal route is the item that most often sets the schedule, so it is fixed first.
- 3
Mobilisation to Dhamra
Crews, pumps, machines and chemicals mobilise via Bhubaneswar (BBI). Where a vessel is also calling at Paradip, 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 tank demucking 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.
Dhamra Port at a glance
- UN/LOCODE
- INDMA
- Port type
- Private Port
- State
- Odisha
- Country
- India
- Water body
- Bay of Bengal
- Port authority
- Dhamra Port Company
- Main cargoes
- Thermal and coking coal, Iron ore, Limestone, LNG
- Crew mobilisation
- Bhubaneswar (BBI)
- Services here
- Hull Cleaning, Hold Cleaning and Tank Cleaning
Frequently asked — Tank Demucking at Dhamra
Do you provide tank demucking at Dhamra Port?
Yes. Cleanship Marine works Dhamra Port (INDMA) in Odisha, India, covering the deep-draft bulk berths and outer anchorage. Teams mobilise via Bhubaneswar (BBI) with the full spread.
Can tank demucking be done while the vessel works cargo at Dhamra?
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 Dhamra and tell you honestly whether the window you have is enough.
How is slop and sludge disposal handled at Dhamra?
Through licensed reception, booked with Dhamra Port Company and the terminal operator before the tanks are opened. At Dhamra 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 Dhamra — 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 tank demucking on at Dhamra?
Capesize and Panamax bulk carriers, LNG carriers — the traffic at Dhamra Port runs to thermal and coking coal, iron ore, limestone, 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 Dhamra?
Crews and equipment mobilise via Bhubaneswar (BBI). 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 Paradip or Haldia, one mobilisation is often sized to cover both.
What does tank demucking at Dhamra 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 Dhamra. 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 Dhamra and you get a scoped price, usually the same working day.
Tank Demucking at Dhamra Port.
Tell us the vessel, her ETA at Dhamra and the window. You get a scope, a crew size and an honest duration — usually the same working day.