Underwater Hull Cleaning at Kakinada Port
Full hull cleaned in the water, vessel stays on hire
Get a quote
Tell us the vessel, the port and the window. Scoped reply, usually the same working day.
Cleanship Marine provides underwater hull cleaning at Kakinada Port, Andhra Pradesh, working the deep water port berths and anchorage port lighterage position. Commercial dive teams remove slime, weed and shell growth from the vertical sides, flat bottom, bilge keels, sea chests and niche areas with the vessel afloat and on hire — no dry dock, no diversion, no off-hire.
Kakinada is the agricultural bulk and fertiliser gateway for the Godavari delta and a shore base for offshore activity in the Krishna-Godavari basin. Bulk carriers on grain and fertiliser parcels and offshore support vessels between charters are the two profiles that most often need underwater work here.
What it gets you
- Hydrodynamic smoothness restored before fouling reaches the calcareous stage that damages coating
- Fuel and emissions penalty from drag reduced without taking the vessel off hire
- Documented condition record for the technical file and the next docking specification
- Sea chests and inlets cleared, protecting cooling water flow
Working conditions at Kakinada
Kakinada runs a deep-water port and an older anchorage port side by side, so the dive plan depends entirely on which one the vessel is worked at — alongside inside the deep-water basin, or fully at anchor off the anchorage port with barges alongside. The Bay of Bengal cyclone seasons in spring and late autumn set the outer window. Godavari delta water is silty and warm, so visibility is modest and marine growth returns fast between cleans.
- 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
- Pre-clean fouling survey to establish coverage, growth type and coating condition before any tool touches the hull
- Brush cart cleaning of the flat bottom and vertical sides, with brush hardness selected against your antifouling specification
- Hand cleaning of bilge keels, rudder, stern frame, thruster tunnels, anodes and the niches a cart cannot follow
- Sea chest gratings and inlet openings cleared of growth and debris to restore cooling water flow
- Diving permission cleared with Kakinada Seaports and the Andhra Pradesh Maritime Board and the terminal before mobilisation
- Before-and-after video and stills, with a written report on coating condition and anode wastage
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. 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 deep water port berths, anchorage port lighterage position and outer anchorage, and which of those a vessel ends up at changes the dive plan more than the season does. 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
Liquid and gas tonnage here spends long stretches at the terminal or waiting for a slot, so growth tends to be even and well established across the hull rather than patchy — heavier than the trading pattern suggests, and further along than a speed report alone would indicate.
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 underwater hull cleaning attendance, wherever the vessel is. Anything outside it is quoted separately and flagged before mobilisation, never added afterwards.
- Fouling survey
- A pre-clean dive establishes fouling type, coverage and severity, and confirms coating condition so the correct tooling is selected.
- Flat bottom and vertical sides
- Brush cart cleaning of large areas, removing slime, weed and shell growth to restore surface smoothness.
- Niche areas
- Hand cleaning of bilge keels, bow thruster tunnels, rudder, stern frame, anodes and other niche areas where fouling concentrates.
- Sea chests and gratings
- Sea chest gratings and inlet openings cleared of growth and debris to restore cooling water flow.
- Documentation
- Underwater video and stills before and after, with a written report covering coating condition and anode wastage.
How we deliver it at Kakinada
- 1
Scope and vessel details
Tell us the vessel, her particulars, the coating specification 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
Permits and approvals
Diving permission is obtained from Kakinada Seaports and the Andhra Pradesh 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 Kakinada
Divers, compressors, brush carts and cameras mobilise via Rajahmundry (RJA) or Visakhapatnam (VTZ). Where a vessel is also calling at Visakhapatnam, 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 underwater hull 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.
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 — Underwater Hull Cleaning at Kakinada
Do you provide underwater hull cleaning 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 underwater hull cleaning be done while the vessel works cargo at Kakinada?
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 Kakinada and tell you honestly whether the window you have is enough.
Do you need a diving permit from Kakinada Seaports and the Andhra Pradesh Maritime Board?
Yes, and we obtain it. Diving permission from Kakinada Seaports and the Andhra Pradesh 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 Kakinada?
Visibility at Kakinada Port is generally workable outside the monsoon, though cargo dust from lighterage reduces it sharply near an active transfer, and the north-east 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 underwater hull cleaning 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?
Divers 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 Gangavaram, one mobilisation is often sized to cover both.
What does underwater hull cleaning at Kakinada cost?
It depends on the vessel's dimensions and wetted area, the fouling state found, the coating specification and the working window available at 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.
Underwater Hull Cleaning 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.