Tank Demucking at Kakinada 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 Kakinada Port, Andhra Pradesh — 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 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
- 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 Kakinada with the paperwork to prove it
- Tank condition photographed and reported, including anything found under the sludge
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 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 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 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.
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 — Tank Demucking at Kakinada
Do you provide tank demucking 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 tank demucking 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 tank demucking 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 tank demucking 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.
Tank Demucking at Kakinada Port.
Tell us the vessel, her ETA at Kakinada and the window. You get a scope, a crew size and an honest duration — usually the same working day.