Kakinada Port · INKAK

UWILD at Kakinada Port

Survey credit earned without leaving the water

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Tell us the vessel, the port and the window. Scoped reply, usually the same working day.

Cleanship Marine runs full UWILD programmes — Underwater Inspection In Lieu of Drydocking — at Kakinada Port, Andhra Pradesh, from eligibility discussion through class liaison to the final report package.

UWILD lets a vessel satisfy a survey requirement that would otherwise mean a dry docking, at a fraction of the cost and with none of the off-hire. The requirements are exacting: the contractor must hold class approval, the vessel must be eligible, hull markings must let the surveyor locate features precisely, and the inspection has to be delivered live and documented. Survey work at an open anchorage lives and dies on the weather window, so class attendance is booked with a realistic standby allowance rather than a single optimistic date.

What it gets you

Drydocking deferred and the survey credit earned in the water
Class liaison handled end to end rather than left with the superintendent
Eligibility confirmed before cost is committed, not discovered afterwards
A documented inspection record that stands up to class review

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

Eligibility review against the vessel's age, type, class notation and survey history before anything is booked
Programme agreed with the class society and the surveyor attending at Kakinada
Hull, rudder, propeller, stern gear, sea chests and appendages inspected to the UWILD scope
Live video, thickness measurement and clearance readings where the programme calls for them
Diving permission cleared with Kakinada Seaports and the Andhra Pradesh Maritime Board, with the vessel secured and machinery immobilised
Complete report package submitted for the class file and the drydocking credit

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 UWILD attendance, wherever the vessel is. Anything outside it is quoted separately and flagged before mobilisation, never added afterwards.

Eligibility and planning: Vessel eligibility, survey scope and the society's specific requirements are established and agreed before mobilisation.
Hull preparation: Reference markings and cleaning of inspection areas so structure and features can be located and viewed unambiguously.
Systematic inspection: Shell plating, welds, rudder, propeller, sea chests, openings, anodes and appendages inspected to the agreed programme.
Measurement and NDT: Clearance measurement and underwater NDT carried out where the survey scope requires it.
Documentation: Video, stills, measurements and findings compiled into a report package suitable for submission to the classification society.

Full UWILD service details

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 UWILD 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 — UWILD Inspection at Kakinada

Do you provide UWILD 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 UWILD 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 UWILD 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 UWILD 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.