Thruster Cleaning & Polishing at Muldwarka Port
Full thrust restored when you need it most
Get a quote
Tell us the vessel, the port and the window. Scoped reply, usually the same working day.
Cleanship Marine cleans and polishes bow and stern thrusters at Muldwarka Port, Gujarat. Divers clear the full tunnel bore, polish the blades and hub, and clear the gratings, restoring the manoeuvring thrust that quietly disappears while a vessel sits idle.
Thruster tunnels are the worst fouling trap on a hull — sheltered, still and almost never inspected. That matters more than usual at Muldwarka, where coastal cement tonnage on repeated short voyages keeps vessels stationary in warm water for extended periods and growth builds on tunnel walls, blades and gratings until manoeuvring performance is noticeably down at exactly the moment it is needed.
What it gets you
- Manoeuvring thrust restored ahead of a berthing or a pilotage that needs it
- Tunnel and grating flow cleared, not just the visible blade faces
- Seal, boss and anode condition documented while the divers are already down
- Reduced reliance on tug assistance where thrust had quietly degraded
Working conditions at Muldwarka
Muldwarka is an open jetty port on the Saurashtra coast with little natural shelter, so underwater work depends on sea state and is planned outside the south-west monsoon. Arabian Sea water here is comparatively clear, which helps inspection work considerably. Vessels on short coastal cement runs call frequently and, because they spend most of their time in warm coastal water at low speed, accumulate fouling faster between dockings than their trading pattern suggests.
- Where we work
- Jetty berth · Offshore anchorage
- Vessels we see here
- Coastal cement carriers · Handysize bulk carriers · Barges and tugs
What we do at Muldwarka
- Full tunnel bore cleaned end to end, both openings, including the areas behind the gratings
- Blade and hub polished, with seal and boss condition inspected and reported
- Tunnel gratings cleared of growth and debris so flow is restored, not just the visible face
- Anodes inside the tunnel checked and wastage recorded
- Diving permission cleared with Gujarat Maritime Board, with the thruster confirmed isolated and tagged out before the dive
- Video record of tunnel and blade condition before and after
Planning the window at Muldwarka
The south-west monsoon governs the calendar at Muldwarka 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. Work here is done with the vessel riding to her anchor, so the dive plan is built around sea state and swell rather than a berth slot, and the team stands by for a workable window rather than a scheduled one.
Work is taken at the jetty berth and offshore anchorage, and which of those a vessel ends up at changes the dive plan more than the season does. Teams mobilise via Diu (DIU) or Rajkot (RAJ), 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 Muldwarka
Dry bulk handling here puts cargo dust into the water around the berths and anchorage. It settles on horizontal surfaces and packs into sea chest gratings and inlet openings, so inlet and grating clearance is routinely a larger part of the job at Muldwarka than owners budget for.
Vessels here sit at anchor for long periods, and a stationary hull in warm water is the ideal fouling substrate. The heaviest growth we lift at this port is almost always off a vessel that has been waiting rather than working.
Standard scope of work
Included as standard on every thruster cleaning attendance, wherever the vessel is. Anything outside it is quoted separately and flagged before mobilisation, never added afterwards.
- Tunnel cleaning
- Fouling removed from the full length of the tunnel bore, including the areas behind gratings where growth is heaviest.
- Blade cleaning and polishing
- Propeller blades and hub cleaned and polished to restore surface finish and reduce cavitation-inducing roughness.
- Grating and guard clearance
- Gratings and rope guards cleared of growth, netting and debris that restrict flow or risk fouling the unit.
- Condition inspection
- Blade edges, seals and visible gearcase condition inspected and recorded, with any damage reported immediately.
How we deliver it at Muldwarka
- 1
Scope and vessel details
Tell us the vessel, her particulars, the coating specification and the window at Muldwarka. 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
Permits and approvals
Diving permission is obtained from Gujarat Maritime Board, along with terminal approval where the berth requires it and any environmental clearance for in-water work. This is handled by us, not left with the agent to chase.
- 3
Mobilisation to Muldwarka
Divers, compressors, brush carts and cameras mobilise via Diu (DIU) or Rajkot (RAJ). Where a vessel is also calling at Pipavav, one mobilisation is normally sized to cover both.
- 4
Safety setup and the dive
The vessel is secured for diving — main engine, shaft and thrusters immobilised, sea suctions confirmed shut, permit agreed with the master. Teams work under surface supervision with continuous diver communications and video throughout.
- 5
Report and handover
A completion report covering thruster cleaning is issued with before-and-after imagery, coating and anode condition and anything found that you should know about. The findings are discussed with the vessel rather than emailed and forgotten.
Muldwarka Port at a glance
- UN/LOCODE
- INMDK
- Port type
- State Port
- State
- Gujarat
- Country
- India
- Water body
- Arabian Sea off Saurashtra
- Port authority
- Gujarat Maritime Board
- Main cargoes
- Cement and clinker, Coal, Gypsum
- Crew mobilisation
- Diu (DIU) / Rajkot (RAJ)
- Services here
- Hull Cleaning and Hold Cleaning
Frequently asked — Thruster Cleaning at Muldwarka
Do you provide thruster cleaning at Muldwarka Port?
Yes. Cleanship Marine works Muldwarka Port (INMDK) in Gujarat, India, covering the jetty berth and offshore anchorage. Teams mobilise via Diu (DIU) or Rajkot (RAJ) with the full spread.
Can thruster cleaning be done while the vessel works cargo at Muldwarka?
Yes — it is the norm here, because the work is done at anchor rather than at a berth. Barge operations carry on around the dive, with the working side agreed with the master beforehand. The vessel stays on hire throughout, and there is no diversion and no dry dock. We scope against the conditions at Muldwarka and tell you honestly whether the window you have is enough.
Do you need a diving permit from Gujarat Maritime Board?
Yes, and we obtain it. Diving permission from Gujarat Maritime Board, terminal approval where the berth requires it, and any environmental clearance for in-water work are arranged as part of the job rather than left with the agent. The master's permit to work and the immobilisation of machinery are agreed on board before anyone enters the water.
What is underwater visibility like at Muldwarka?
Visibility at Muldwarka Port is generally workable outside the monsoon, though cargo dust from lighterage reduces it sharply near an active transfer, and the south-west monsoon sets the outer limits of the calendar. How the tide and sea state shape the dive plan is set out in full in the working-conditions section on this page.
Which vessels do you carry out thruster cleaning on at Muldwarka?
Coastal cement carriers, Handysize bulk carriers, Barges and tugs — the traffic at Muldwarka Port runs to cement and clinker, coal, gypsum, 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 Muldwarka?
Divers and equipment mobilise via Diu (DIU) or Rajkot (RAJ). 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 Pipavav or Porbandar, one mobilisation is often sized to cover both.
What does thruster cleaning at Muldwarka cost?
It depends on the vessel's dimensions and wetted area, the fouling state found, the coating specification and the working window available at Muldwarka. 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 Muldwarka and you get a scoped price, usually the same working day.
Thruster Cleaning & Polishing at Muldwarka Port.
Tell us the vessel, her ETA at Muldwarka and the window. You get a scope, a crew size and an honest duration — usually the same working day.