Magdalla Port · INMDA

UWILD at Magdalla 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 Magdalla Port, Gujarat, 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. River visibility here rules out conventional wide-shot survey video, so any class attendance has to be agreed in advance on a close-quarters, high-intensity lighting basis, and some scopes will simply not be accepted in these conditions. We will say so before you book the surveyor rather than after.

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 Magdalla

Magdalla lies on the Tapi estuary, so it combines a strong tidal stream with river silt and limited depth — dive windows are short, tied to the tide and worked in near-zero visibility. The depth restriction does have one upside for the diving side: the tonnage calling here is smaller, so any single hull job has a manageable wetted area. Larger vessels are worked at the outer anchorage instead of alongside.

Where we work: River jetties · Outer anchorage
Vessels we see here: Handysize bulk carriers · General cargo ships · Coastal tankers

What we do at Magdalla

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 Magdalla
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 Gujarat 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 Magdalla

The south-west monsoon governs the calendar at Magdalla 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. River current and sediment govern the method here: dives are cut to the slack either side of the tide, the team works by touch in near-zero visibility, and the vessel has to be properly secured against the stream before anyone enters the water.

Work is taken at the river jetties and outer anchorage, and which of those a vessel ends up at changes the dive plan more than the season does. Teams mobilise via Surat (STV) or Vadodara (BDQ), 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 Magdalla

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 Magdalla than owners budget for.

River water changes what we find. Freshwater influence shifts the species mix and the growth is often softer but covers more of the hull, and sediment settles over the top of it on horizontal surfaces — two different problems on the same plate.

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 Magdalla

1
Scope and vessel details
Tell us the vessel, her particulars, the coating specification and the window at Magdalla. 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 Magdalla
Divers, compressors, brush carts and cameras mobilise via Surat (STV) or Vadodara (BDQ). Where a vessel is also calling at Hazira, 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.

Magdalla Port at a glance

UN/LOCODE: INMDA
Port type: State Port
State: Gujarat
Country: India
Water body: Tapi estuary, Gulf of Khambhat
Port authority: Gujarat Maritime Board
Main cargoes: Coal, Steel and scrap, Timber, Edible oil, General cargo
Crew mobilisation: Surat (STV) / Vadodara (BDQ)
Services here: Hull Cleaning, Hold Cleaning and Tank Cleaning

Frequently asked — UWILD Inspection at Magdalla

Do you provide UWILD at Magdalla Port?

Yes. Cleanship Marine works Magdalla Port (INMDA) in Gujarat, India, covering the river jetties and outer anchorage. Teams mobilise via Surat (STV) or Vadodara (BDQ) with the full spread.

Can UWILD be done while the vessel works cargo at Magdalla?

Usually yes, but the constraint is the river rather than the cargo plan. Diving is held to the slack either side of the tide, so the real question is whether the vessel's stay covers enough slacks. The vessel stays on hire throughout, and there is no diversion and no dry dock. We scope against the conditions at Magdalla 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 Magdalla?

Visibility at Magdalla Port is effectively nil for most of the year, 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 UWILD on at Magdalla?

Handysize bulk carriers, General cargo ships and Coastal tankers — the traffic at Magdalla Port runs to coal, steel and scrap, timber, 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 Magdalla?

Divers and equipment mobilise via Surat (STV) or Vadodara (BDQ). 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 Hazira or Dahej, one mobilisation is often sized to cover both.

What does UWILD at Magdalla cost?

It depends on the vessel's dimensions and wetted area, the fouling state found, the coating specification and the working window available at Magdalla. 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 Magdalla and you get a scoped price, usually the same working day.