Ultra-Fast 36-Hour Cargo Hold Preparation on board MV GREAT SPIRIT from Gdansk to Kotka
Ultra-Fast 36-Hour Cargo Hold Preparation on board MV GREAT SPIRIT from Gdansk to Kotka
In modern dry bulk shipping, tight voyage transit schedules demand precise, high-speed execution. Delta Maritime Agency is proud to report on another successful holds cleaning case study involving an ultra-fast vessel turnaround under extreme time constraints.
The initial data presented a demanding logistical challenge: the Supramax bulk carrier MV GREAT SPIRIT (5 holds, 61,087 DWT, 77,529 cubic meters) was completing discharging operations for a dirty bulk coal cargo at the port of Gdansk, Poland. Immediately following discharge, the vessel was fixed for a sensitive cargo of urea in bulk at the loading port of Kotka, Finland. The critical operational bottleneck? The seagoing voyage between the discharging port and loading port spanned a distance of only 36 hours.
Our Principal set an absolute objective: berthing operations and loading commencement at the port of Kotka were confirmed strictly on arrival. All 5 cargo holds had to fully comply with rigid international grain cleanliness standards, leaving the vessel in full respect ready for loading the moment she hit the pilot station.
To bypass expensive port down-time or anchoring delays, Delta Maritime Agency mobilized its specialized riding team to perform high-intensity hold cleaning en route from port to port.
Transitioning 77,529 cubic meters of hold space from coal to urea in 36 hours leaves absolutely zero margin for error. Coal cargo leaves behind a persistent, heavy carbon film that covers lower frame sections and tank tops. Furthermore, deep visual inspections revealed historical cement and clinker residues stubbornly embedded in the upper parts of the bulkheads and in-between frames.
Standard, water-only holds washing is completely ineffective against this type of dual contamination. To meet the tight schedule, Delta Maritime Agency's professional hold cleaning team deployed an aggressive chemical and mechanical strategy.
Our certified professional high altitude cleaners scaled the internal structures using climbing rigging. Working around the clock in structured 24/7 rotations across the Baltic Sea, our seagoing crew executed a multi-stage holds maintenance plan that combined rapid chemical applications with specialized long-reach mechanical scraping to deeply clean the steel bulkheads.
To guarantee a spotless finish well within the 36-hour time boundary, our team systematically executed our field-proven protocol:
Targeted Chemical Application: Even application of premium chemical cleaning emulsifiers (sodium hypochlorite) across all steel bulkhead surfaces to deeply dissolve stubborn coal carbon films and soot.
Comprehensive Washout: High-volume marine washing using sea-water systems to thoroughly flush away the emulsified chemicals and dislodged oily residues.
Industrial High-Pressure Cleaning: Deep mechanical scrubbing of highly contaminated lower areas, bracket corners, corrugations, and the main tank top utilizing specialized high-pressure (HP) washing equipment equipped with rotary nozzles.
Freshwater Rinsing & Complete Drying: A meticulous final fresh water (FW) rinse across all 5 holds and upper hatch structures to eliminate salt and mineral deposits. The bilge wells were thoroughly flushed, cleared of sediment, and vacuumed, followed by rapid drying of the tank tops.
Precision Technical Spot Painting: Rapid deployment of industrial marine painting equipment to renew coatings and seal areas with historical cement/clinker residues—concentrating mainly at the upper parts in-between frames—ensuring a flawless visual appearance.
Objective Achieved: Flawless Pass with Zero Remarks on Arrival
Thanks to proper planning, an organized technical workflow, and heavy-duty equipment, the objective set by our Principal was achieved flawlessly. When the MV GREAT SPIRIT arrived at the loading port of Kotka, Finland, the cargo holds underwent a strict independent surveyor inspection and passed without a single remark or single-day delay. Loading operations commenced promptly after berthing, maximizing the vessel's operational efficiency.