BREREI NordWest – Gebäude- & Industriereinigung
Cleaning a cargo ship's hold with an industrial vacuum and a broom

Ship cleaning in Bremen and Bremerhaven: cargo holds, bilges and galleys

The pace is set not by the cleaning company but by the laytime between discharge and loading; acceptance is often carried out by a cargo hold inspector appointed by the charterer.

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Agree the deployment

Category
Industrial cleaning
Reachable
Mo–Fr 07:30–17:30 Uhr
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Free of charge, on site
0421 87757597Agree the deployment

In short

Ship cleaning of cargo holds, bilges, engine rooms and galleys takes place in the window between discharge and loading. The pace is set by laytime, not by the cleaning company; acceptance is often done by a cargo hold inspector appointed by the charterer. Wash water and oily residues must not go over the side but be handed ashore to a licensed reception facility.

Problem und Lösung

The challenge

The trigger is almost always a clock that is running: the ship discharges this evening, the next cargo window is the morning after tomorrow, and the cargo hold has to be accepted beforehand. Often the inspector has objected to residues of the previous cargo – without release, no loading takes place. The shipowner asks who will take the wash water, because over the side is not an option. The agent needs someone who comes to the berth and knows how a cargo hold is entered, and the galley is to be cleaned before the port health officer comes on board. The broker sits between charterer and shipowner and needs a dependable commitment. The actual problem is therefore not the soiling but the chain of access, time window, safety release, acceptance and disposal; a missing link costs laytime.

Our solution

A deployment on board is planned backwards from loading. The agent or the shipping company reports arrival, berth and laytime; from that the working window follows, often a few hours. Access and safety release are then clarified: registrations and entry checks for the terminal and the ship need lead time, and before entering a cargo hold there is gas-free measurement, a permit to work, a standby person, fall protection at the access point and lighting. The condition survey records the type of previous cargo, the type of next cargo and the condition of floors, bulkheads, ladders and pipelines. Cleaning starts dry – removal and collection of the residues – then wet, where that is necessary and permissible. Drying and clearance follow, with collection of the residual water and return of covers and gratings. Finally there is the joint visual inspection with the ship's officer and, where provided, with the cargo hold inspector, and handover of the wash water ashore against a receipt.

Scope of service

  • Cargo holds: removal of residues of the previous cargo, loose rust scale and salt and bulk cargo residues; the target condition follows the inspection standard of the person accepting the hold.
  • Tween decks, hatch covers and cell structures – the areas where residues of the previous cargo remain.
  • Areas under the grating and in the floor trays of the engine room: collection of oil sludge and residues.
  • Oily waters: extraction and orderly handover to a licensed reception facility; who accepts the wash water and who issues the receipt for the ship is settled before the deployment.
  • Galley, pantry and provision rooms: deep cleaning and disinfection of kitchen areas as well as degreasing of hood and exhaust air areas.
  • Crew areas and cabins: cleaning of recreation, sanitary and cabin areas.
  • Deck and superstructures: removal of salt deposits as well as soot and exhaust films on superstructures and in the funnel area.
  • Drying and clearance: collection of the residual water, cleaning of the bilge and collection points, return of covers and gratings.
  • Condition survey and acceptance: description of the initial condition before the start, joint visual inspection with the ship's officer and, where applicable, with the cargo hold inspector.
  • Demarcation: cargo hold inspection and its assessment, official approvals, gas-free measurement as an official act, work on cargo installations and on the ship's technical systems as well as activities reserved to the ship's personnel or a shipyard are not part of the service.

Typical subservices

  • Cargo hold cleaning
  • Tween decks and hatch covers
  • Engine room areas under the grating
  • Galley and provision rooms
  • Cabins and crew areas
  • Deck and superstructures
  • Drying and clearance

Suitable for

  • Bulk carriers with several cargo holds, tween decks and their own cargo gear – here the inspection standard decides the cleaning effort.
  • General cargo and project vessels with smooth cargo holds and corners that are difficult to access.
  • Container ships with cargo holds, hatch covers and cell structures in which residues remain.
  • Inland and coastal motor vessels, where the turnaround windows are particularly short.
  • Fishing vessels and supply vessels with cold rooms and working spaces.
  • Tankers and gas carriers only to a limited extent: cleaning in tanks requires its own release and safety chain and is not comparable with cargo hold cleaning; whether and to what extent it is offered must be clarified before the enquiry.

Your advantages

Tailored to this service – aligned with site and industry.

  • Laytime is the client

    The working window between discharge and loading follows from the charter party, not from the cleaning company's scheduling. If it is exceeded, costs arise that are as a rule attributed to the party that caused the delay. That is why planning works backwards from loading.

  • Acceptance is by a third party

    In the bulk business, a cargo hold inspector acting for the charterer or the receiver often assesses whether loading may proceed. The inspection standard follows the next cargo and should be known beforehand, not afterwards.

  • The waste route comes before the start of work

    Wash water containing oil, chemicals or cargo residues is collected and handed over to a licensed reception facility; the ship's drainage system is not a waste water route for cleaning work. Reception facility, vehicle and quantity estimate have to be organised before the deployment.

Process

How your project runs

  1. 1

    Notification and working window

    The agent or the shipping company reports arrival, berth and laytime. From that the working window follows, often only a few hours.

  2. 2

    Clarify access

    Access rules apply for terminals in the port area and for the ship; registrations and passes need lead time and belong in the scheduling.

  3. 3

    Safety release on board

    Before entering cargo holds and confined spaces: gas-free measurement, permit to work, standby person, fall protection at the access point and lighting. Responsibility for the release lies with the ship or the operator.

  4. 4

    Condition survey and cleaning

    The type of previous cargo and of the next cargo as well as the condition of floors, bulkheads, ladders and pipelines are recorded. Then dry removal and collection of the residues, followed by wet cleaning where it is necessary and permissible.

  5. 5

    Drying, acceptance and disposal

    Residual water is collected, bilge and collection points are cleaned, covers and gratings returned. Then the joint visual inspection with the ship's officer and the handover of the wash water ashore against a receipt.

Methods and equipment

  • Planning backwards from loading: the working window is determined from the next cargo window, not from the cleaning company's work preparation.
  • Dry removal and collection of the residues first; wet cleaning only where it is necessary and permissible.
  • Collection of the residual water and cleaning of the bilge and collection points, then return of covers and gratings.
  • Degreasing of hood and exhaust air areas in the galley; for exhaust air routes the fire protection logic is added, which ashore is described by VDI 2052.
  • Removal of salt deposits as well as soot and exhaust films on superstructures and in the funnel area.
  • Collection of oil sludge and residues in areas under the grating and in the floor trays of the engine room, with separate treatment of oily waters.

Technical and legal framework

This service sits within a framework of statutory duties, technical rulebooks and operational practice. The distinction matters because it determines who is responsible for what.

Laytime and the charter party
Between discharge and loading lies a window whose length is not determined by the cleaning company but by the charter party with its laytime provisions. If the window is exceeded, costs arise that are as a rule attributed to the party that caused the delay. For planning this means: a deployment must hold up even if the ship is delayed, in weather and with a changed schedule.
Acceptance by third parties
Whether a cargo hold may be loaded is often decided in the bulk business by a cargo hold inspector acting for the charterer or the receiver – not by the shipowner and not by the contractor. The inspection standard follows from the agreed cargo and the requirements of the shipper; for grain, feedstuffs and foodstuffs these are stricter standards than for ore or scrap. The target condition is therefore not negotiated with the client alone but with the third party's standard – and that should be known beforehand, not afterwards.
MARPOL and the waste route
The MARPOL Convention is binding international law. It governs, among other things, the handling of oily bilge and engine room water as well as of waste and cargo residues. In practice this means: wash water containing oil, chemicals or cargo residues is collected and handed over to a licensed port reception facility; the ship receives a receipt which enters its records. The ship's drainage system is not a waste water route for cleaning work, and discharge into the harbour basin is not an option. For German waters, national provisions on the introduction of substances into the sea supplement the Convention. Professional review of the standard in its full text is required.
Confined spaces and safety release
A cargo hold is deep, accessible via ladders or cranes, wet and slippery after washing, and the atmosphere is not automatically breathable. Before entry, gas-free measurement, a permit to work, a standby person, communication and rescue equipment are part of the job. The release is granted by the ship or the operator; on board, the ship's safety system and the master's authority additionally apply. For seagoing businesses, the accident prevention regulations of the responsible employers' liability insurance association (SeeBG / BG Verkehr) are binding for its member businesses; which body is responsible for cleaning personnel deployed depends on the activity and on the company's registered office and must be clarified in the individual case. The DGUV Regeln on work in confined spaces and on fall protection are not a legal norm, but a recognised state of the art.
Access under ISPS
Port areas and terminals are subject to the requirements of the international ship and port facility security regime (ISPS). Access requires passes, registrations and entry checks; with short lead time this is often the first loss of time, even before the actual work. So clarify in the enquiry which registrations are needed for terminal and ship and who can make them, and likewise which evidence on confined spaces, fall protection and first aid is required for the personnel deployed – with shipping companies and terminals this is often a precondition for the contract.
Hygiene on board
For galleys, provision rooms and accommodation, requirements apply to the accommodation and catering of the crew which arise from the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC) and the law of the flag state; they are checked, among other things, in port state control inspections and by port health officers. What follows from this for the scope of cleaning, agents and evidence arises from the shipping company's specifications. For galley exhaust air and hoods, the fire protection logic is added, which ashore is described by VDI 2052 – a VDI guideline, not a legal norm; it becomes relevant through contract, insurance condition or customary practice. Professional review of the standard in its full text is required.

The rulebooks named here describe requirements for how the work is carried out – they are not a certification held by BREREI. VDI and DIN normative texts are chargeable and were not available in full; where a statement touches the normative detail, this is noted in place.

What determines the interval

  • No fixed interval, but occasions: the pace is set by the trading area and cargo changes – frequent changes between incompatible cargoes mean more frequent cleaning.
  • Type of previous cargo: coal, cement, fertiliser, salt, petroleum coke, scrap and grain leave very different residues.
  • Requirements of the next cargo: grain, feedstuffs, sugar and foodstuffs require a different final condition from ore, scrap or building materials.
  • Contractual arrangement: whether the shipowner, the shipper or the charterer pays for the cleaning and which standard is agreed decides the scope and frequency.
  • Shipping company practice: some shipping companies clean on every cargo change as a matter of principle, others only when needed.
  • Galley and living areas: here the shipping company paces by its own management system and by inspection cycles.
  • Berth policy of the terminal: how much time is available at the berth for ancillary activities differs from port to port.

What determines the effort and the quotation

  • Length and position of the turnaround window: a tight window requires more personnel and more equipment at the same time; night, Sunday and public holiday work is an effort factor in its own right, and whether a deployment at these times is possible must be clarified before award
  • Type of previous cargo: caked, sticky or dusting residues differ considerably in the time required
  • Number and geometry of the cargo holds: tween decks, cell structures, bracing and pipelines substantially enlarge the surface area to be treated
  • Accessibility and equipment in the port: the approach to the berth, entry times, waiting times at the gate, load capacity of cranes and hatch covers as well as the question of which equipment base is available at the berth (high-pressure and hot water technology, extraction and container technology, gas measurement technology as well as water and power connections). These points must be clarified before award
  • Disposal logistics: quantity of wash water, reception facility, containers, formalities and receipt documentation
  • Safety effort: gas-free measurement, standby person, fall protection, lighting and rescue equipment
  • Extent of ancillary areas: galley, living areas, deck surfaces and grating areas are items in their own right with their own time requirement
  • Preparation by the client: ETA and berth window with an on-site contact, details of the previous cargo and the next cargo including the expected inspection standard, access and permit procedures as well as a contact person with authority to accept the work

Applicable standards and regulations

  • MARPOL Convention – binding international convention on oily water, waste and cargo residues
  • National provisions on the introduction of substances into the sea – legally binding
  • WHG / AwSV – handling of substances hazardous to water and of waste water ashore, legally binding
  • ISPS regulations and port regulations – binding law and official requirements for access
  • Maritime Labour Convention (MLC) and flag state law – binding international convention on accommodation, catering and hygiene on board
  • Accident prevention regulations of the employers' liability insurance association for seafaring (SeeBG / BG Verkehr) – accident prevention regulation, binding for its member businesses
  • DGUV Vorschrift 1 – accident prevention regulation, binding for member businesses
  • DGUV Regeln on work in confined spaces and containers – DGUV Regel, not a legal norm, recognised state of the art
  • DGUV Regeln on fall protection – DGUV Regel, not a legal norm, recognised state of the art
  • VDI 2052 (galley exhaust air) – VDI guideline, not a legal norm; takes effect through contract, insurance condition or customary practice

These references describe the requirements the work is performed against. They are not a certification, inspection or approval held by BREREI.

Frequently asked questions about this service

Short answers to help you assess whether this service fits your site.

What determines the lead time for a deployment at the berth?

Lead time is not determined by the journey but by entry and safety release: terminal and ship require registrations, passes and a release before work may begin. In practice it is therefore rarely the distance that is the bottleneck but the settling of formalities. If you have little lead time, supply ETA, berth, terminal and an on-site contact at the same time; a blanket time figure is deliberately not given here, because it depends on the berth, the access rules and the workload.

Who accepts the cargo hold, and against what standard is it judged?

In the bulk business, regularly a cargo hold inspector acting for the charterer or the receiver. The condition of the cargo hold is judged in relation to the intended cargo; for grain, feedstuffs and foodstuffs the requirements are higher than for scrap or ore. It makes sense to know the standard to be applied before the deployment, because the cleaning effort is planned according to it.

Where does the wash water from the cargo holds go?

Not over the side. Water containing oil, chemicals or cargo residues is collected and handed over ashore to a licensed reception facility; the ship's command receives a receipt for its records. The basis is the duties arising from the MARPOL Convention as binding international law and the national provisions. Who accepts the wash water, in what quantity and in what form the receipt is issued belongs in the contract before the deployment.

Which passes and registrations are needed for access?

Anyone wishing to enter a terminal or a ship is subject to the access rules of the port area. Which passes and registrations are required in an individual case follows from the terminal and port regulations; ask about this situation before award and name a contact person for the entry check. Also check which evidence on confined spaces, fall protection and first aid is required for the personnel deployed.

Can cargo holds simply be entered?

No. Cargo holds and tanks are confined spaces with their own hazard situation: atmosphere, depth, access, wetness and slipperiness as well as possible residual gases from the previous cargo. Before entry stand gas-free measurement, a permit to work, a standby person and rescue equipment. The release is granted by the ship or the operator; on board the master's authority applies. Without this release, no work begins.

Is the galley cleaned to shore-side hygiene standards?

Galleys and provision rooms are subject to the requirements of the Maritime Labour Convention and of flag state law, checked among other things in port state control inspections and by port health officers. What follows from this for the scope of cleaning, agents and evidence arises from the shipping company's specifications. For exhaust air and hood areas the fire protection logic is added, which ashore is described by VDI 2052 – a guideline and not a legal norm.

Related services

Request ship cleaning at the berth

State the ship type, berth, ETA, previous cargo and next cargo as well as the contact person for acceptance. From that follows which window is realistic, which access and safety formalities have to be dealt with beforehand and how the waste and wash water route is organised. The enquiry runs through the quotation form with the service ship cleaning preselected.

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