Tank Demucking at Haldia Port
Sludge out, capacity back
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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 Haldia Port, West Bengal — 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 Haldia
Work here runs both alongside and at anchorage depending on the call, and on the passage out where neither gives enough 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 Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port, Kolkata 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
- Dock complex berths · Oil jetties · River anchorage
- Vessels we see here
- Product and chemical tankers · Bulk carriers · Feeder container ships
What we do at Haldia
- 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 Haldia with the paperwork to prove it
- Tank condition photographed and reported, including anything found under the sludge
Planning the window at Haldia
The north-east monsoon governs the calendar at Haldia 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. Whether the work runs alongside, at anchorage or on passage depends on the terminal and the grade, so the plan is built against the actual call. Where a terminal will not permit tank work at the berth, we say so at quoting stage rather than after mobilisation.
Teams mobilise via Kolkata (CCU), 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 Haldia
Haldia serves the eastern petrochemical belt, so the grades are varied and the cleaning specification changes with almost every voyage. Slop reception and disposal are arranged through the dock complex ahead of arrival.
Chemical and petrochemical grades move through here, so the cleaning specification changes with almost every voyage and is set by the next charterer's acceptance criteria. The wash plan is built from the prior-cargo and next-cargo pair, not from a standard procedure.
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 Haldia
- 1
Scope and vessel details
Tell us the vessel, her particulars, the prior and next grade and the window at Haldia. 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 Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port, Kolkata and the terminal operator, licensed slop and sludge reception is booked, and marine chemist attendance is arranged where the grade change requires it. At Haldia the disposal route is the item that most often sets the schedule, so it is fixed first.
- 3
Mobilisation to Haldia
Crews, pumps, machines and chemicals mobilise via Kolkata (CCU). Where a vessel is also calling at Kolkata, 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.
Haldia Port at a glance
- UN/LOCODE
- INHAL
- Port type
- Major Port
- State
- West Bengal
- Country
- India
- Water body
- Hooghly River
- Port authority
- Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port, Kolkata
- Main cargoes
- POL and petrochemicals, Coking coal, Containers, Fertiliser, Steel
- Crew mobilisation
- Kolkata (CCU)
- Services here
- Hull Cleaning, Hold Cleaning and Tank Cleaning
Frequently asked — Tank Demucking at Haldia
Do you provide tank demucking at Haldia Port?
Yes. Cleanship Marine works Haldia Port (INHAL) in West Bengal, India, covering the dock complex berths, oil jetties and river anchorage. Teams mobilise via Kolkata (CCU) with the full spread.
Can tank demucking be done while the vessel works cargo at Haldia?
It depends on the terminal and the grade. Some berths here permit tank work alongside and some do not; we establish which before the vessel arrives and plan for the anchorage or the passage where the answer is no. The vessel stays on hire throughout, and there is no diversion and no dry dock. We scope against the conditions at Haldia and tell you honestly whether the window you have is enough.
How is slop and sludge disposal handled at Haldia?
Through licensed reception, booked with Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port, Kolkata and the terminal operator before the tanks are opened. At Haldia 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 Haldia — alongside, at anchorage or on passage?
Work here runs both alongside and at anchorage depending on the call, and on the passage out where neither gives enough time.
Which vessels do you carry out tank demucking on at Haldia?
Product and chemical tankers, Bulk carriers, Feeder container ships — the traffic at Haldia Port runs to pol and petrochemicals, coking coal, containers, 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 Haldia?
Crews and equipment mobilise via Kolkata (CCU). 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 Dhamra, one mobilisation is often sized to cover both.
What does tank demucking at Haldia 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 Haldia. 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 Haldia and you get a scoped price, usually the same working day.
Tank Demucking at Haldia Port.
Tell us the vessel, her ETA at Haldia and the window. You get a scope, a crew size and an honest duration — usually the same working day.