Tank Demucking at Okha 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 Okha Port, Gujarat — 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 Okha
Work here runs both alongside and at anchorage depending on the call, and on the passage out where neither gives enough time. The south-west monsoon sets the outer limits of the calendar, roughly June to September, and it affects the anchorage far more than the berth. Approval runs through Gujarat 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
- Jetty berths · Anchorage off the port
- Vessels we see here
- Handysize bulk carriers · Coastal tankers · Barges and support craft
What we do at Okha
- 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 Okha with the paperwork to prove it
- Tank condition photographed and reported, including anything found under the sludge
Planning the window at Okha
The south-west monsoon governs the calendar at Okha Port, roughly June to September. Swell and reduced surface visibility close most open-water work on this coast for the duration, and the weeks either side are unreliable rather than unusable. 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 Porbandar (PBD) or Jamnagar (JGA), 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 Okha
Tank work at Okha is coastal fuel tonnage and support craft — bunker and slop tanks rather than cargo grade changes. Depth alongside is limited, so anything larger is worked at the anchorage off the port.
Product parcels and bunkers dominate the liquid traffic here, so most of the work is grade changes and fuel and slop tank cleaning rather than full chemical specification work.
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 Okha
- 1
Scope and vessel details
Tell us the vessel, her particulars, the prior and next grade and the window at Okha. 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 Gujarat 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 Okha the disposal route is the item that most often sets the schedule, so it is fixed first.
- 3
Mobilisation to Okha
Crews, pumps, machines and chemicals mobilise via Porbandar (PBD) or Jamnagar (JGA). Where a vessel is also calling at Kandla, 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.
Okha Port at a glance
- UN/LOCODE
- INOKH
- Port type
- State Port
- State
- Gujarat
- Country
- India
- Water body
- Entrance to the Gulf of Kutch
- Port authority
- Gujarat Maritime Board
- Main cargoes
- Salt, Bauxite, Bentonite, General cargo, Coastal fuel
- Crew mobilisation
- Porbandar (PBD) / Jamnagar (JGA)
- Services here
- Hull Cleaning, Hold Cleaning and Tank Cleaning
Frequently asked — Tank Demucking at Okha
Do you provide tank demucking at Okha Port?
Yes. Cleanship Marine works Okha Port (INOKH) in Gujarat, India, covering the jetty berths and anchorage off the port. Teams mobilise via Porbandar (PBD) or Jamnagar (JGA) with the full spread.
Can tank demucking be done while the vessel works cargo at Okha?
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 Okha and tell you honestly whether the window you have is enough.
How is slop and sludge disposal handled at Okha?
Through licensed reception, booked with Gujarat Maritime Board and the terminal operator before the tanks are opened. At Okha 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 Okha — 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 Okha?
Handysize bulk carriers, Coastal tankers, Barges and support craft — the traffic at Okha Port runs to salt, bauxite and bentonite, 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 Okha?
Crews and equipment mobilise via Porbandar (PBD) or Jamnagar (JGA). 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 Kandla or Porbandar, one mobilisation is often sized to cover both.
What does tank demucking at Okha 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 Okha. 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 Okha and you get a scoped price, usually the same working day.
Tank Demucking at Okha Port.
Tell us the vessel, her ETA at Okha and the window. You get a scope, a crew size and an honest duration — usually the same working day.