Restoring MV MANDARIN RIVER After 3 Consecutive Coal Cargoes to Pass Strict Grain Inspection
Restoring MV MANDARIN RIVER After 3 Consecutive Coal Cargoes to Pass Strict Grain Inspection
Transitioning a bulk carrier from a dirty commodity to an absolute grain-clean standard becomes significantly more complex when the vessel has carried that dirty cargo multiple times in a row. For the Supramax bulk carrier MV MANDARIN RIVER (5 holds, 56,774 DWT, 68,000 cubic meters), the technical challenge was severe: the vessel had carried bulk coal for three consecutive voyages, leading to deeply layered carbon soot and embedded dust across all internal bulkheads.
The target was to achieve a flawless grain-clean status to load a highly sensitive cargo of wheat in bulk. Rather than allowing the ship to face expensive port anchorages or risking an immediate hold rejection at the loading berth, the operators appointed Delta Maritime Agency to deploy a specialized riding team for complete hold cleaning en route from port to port.
Overcoming Sponging and High-Altitude Coating Challenges
Our seagoing team boarded the vessel at Swinoujscie roads (Poland) to launch an aggressive, immediate cleaning campaign during the voyage to Dunkirk (France). Despite the massive volume of built-up coal accumulation, the quantity of previous dirty cargoes has never been an obstacle for our experienced professionals.
When dealing with consecutive coal runs, standard high-pressure holds washing is not enough. Deep visual inspections by our professional high altitude cleaners revealed hidden rust-affected areas and "burned stains" stretching across the hoppers and bulkheads. These porous, rusted textures act exactly like a sponge, absorbing microscopic coal residues and dust. During standard operations, these hidden pockets will bleed dust upon a professional "glove test," resulting in an automatic failure.
Recognizing this risk, our professional hold cleaning team immediately pivoted their workflow. After completing a chemical and high-pressure wash, our team deployed climbing rigging to perform extensive spot-painting and localized coating renewals directly over the compromised hopper and bulkhead areas.
To guarantee that all 68,000 cubic meters of hold space met rigid agricultural clearance guidelines, our crew executed a strict 5-stage holds maintenance framework:
Manual Sponging & Brushing: Structural scrubbing at height using bamboo poles and lightweight aluminum stick extensions fitted with industrial marine sponges to break the oily surface bond of the coal film.
Comprehensive Washout: Targeted washing to rinse away all loosened cargo residues. This rinsing sequence was repeated dynamically until all visual traces were completely eliminated.
Industrial High-Pressure Cleaning: Deep mechanical scrubbing of highly contaminated areas, corrugations, and the lower tank tops utilizing specialized high-pressure (HP) washing equipment.
Freshwater Rinsing & Complete Drying: A meticulous final fresh water (FW) rinse across all 5 holds and upper hatch structures to strip away salt minerals. The bilge wells were deeply cleaned, flushed, and vacuumed, followed by total structural drying.
Precision Spot Painting: Rapid deployment of industrial painting equipment to renew coatings on the rust-affected hoppers, completely locking away residual dust and ensuring a clean glove test.
Flawless Pass Before the Egyptian Delegation: Zero Remarks
The true test of any cargo hold preparation is the final survey. Upon berthing at Dunkirk port, France, the holds were subjected to a rigorous dual-party inspection by both the attending surveyor and a demanding official Egyptian delegation representing the cargo Receiver’s side.
Thanks to the en-route interventions and coating renewals by Delta Maritime, the holds were accepted immediately without a single remark or single-day delay from either inspecting party.