Solving a Complex Coal and Cement Contamination Challenge on MV TAI STAR En Route from Ploce to Mersin
Discovering a hidden layer of previous cargo contamination beneath your current residual cargo is one of the most demanding operational hurdles a vessel manager can face. For the bulk carrier MV TAI STAR (5 holds, 62,478 DWT, 79,052 cubic meters), this scenario threatened to trigger a catastrophic hold rejection at her next loading destination.
The vessel had completed discharging a heavy bulk coal cargo. However, deep structural post-discharge inspections revealed an underlying nightmare: prior to the coal, the ship had carried cement clinker, and the holds had never been properly cleaned. As a result, massive amounts of old, hardened cement residues were tightly bonded across all hold surfaces, completely trapped beneath heavy layers of sticky coal dust.
Initial attempts to treat the holds using standard onboard chemical materials like sodium hypochlorite yielded minimal results, failing to penetrate the dual-layered crust. To bypass severe port downtime and achieve guaranteed grain cleanliness standards, the operators contracted Delta Maritime Agency to deploy a professional hold cleaning team to manage the technical execution en route from port to port.
Overcoming Structural Bonding with Advanced Mechanical Sponging
When dealing with combined layers of coal soot and hardened cement clinker, traditional high-pressure washing alone is insufficient. Applying high-pressure water directly onto thick coal soot can wash it downstream into the drainage systems, causing severe blockages, or simply smear the oily film across the bulkheads.
To circumvent this, Delta Maritime Agency's riding team modified the operational workflow into a sequential recovery strategy. Our certified professional high altitude cleaners scaled the internal framework of the 5 massive holds utilizing climbing rigging and specialized long-reach extensions. Armed with heavy-duty marine sponges and custom brushes, they performed an intensive manual sponging and brushing campaign to strip away the coal soot mechanical layer yard-by-yard, safely exposing the hardened cement underneath for chemical treatment.
Technical Holds Maintenance: Our Adaptive 5-Stage Action Plan
Once the initial coal barriers were stripped away, our seagoing crew executed a targeted chemical extraction process using muriatic acid formulas to safely break down the historical cement layers. The entire operation followed a strict 5-stage holds maintenance framework:
- Manual Sponging & Brushing: High-altitude physical scrubbing using bamboo poles and aluminum extensions fitted with industrial marine sponges to break the cohesive bond of the outer coal soot layer.
- Intermediate Washout: Comprehensive holds washing using seawater systems to thoroughly sweep away all dislodged coal residues and clear the vertical bulkheads.
- Targeted Chemical Application (Muriatic Acid): Applying precision concentrations of premium muriatic acid directly onto the exposed, hardened cement patches, allowing the formula to dissolve the mineral bonds.
- Industrial High-Pressure Cleaning: Deep mechanical scrubbing of the chemically softened cement, frame corners, upper stools, and the tank tops utilizing high-pressure (HP) washing machines equipped with rotary nozzles.
- Freshwater Rinsing & Complete Drying: A meticulous final fresh water (FW) rinse of all 5 holds and upper hatch structures to completely eliminate salt deposits. The bilge wells were thoroughly flushed and vacuumed, and the tank tops completely dried to provide a flawless, moisture-free cargo hold environment.
Zero Port Downtime: Turning a Heavy Contamination Crisis into a Flawless Pass
Operating around the clock in structured 24/7 rotations across the Mediterranean Sea from Ploce, Croatia, to Mersin, Turkey, our crew successfully eliminated every trace of both coal soot and stubborn historical cement. Upon arrival at the loading berth in Mersin, the cargo holds underwent a strict independent inspection and passed flawlessly on the very first attempt.
By executing this complex dual-cleanup operation entirely en route, Delta Maritime Agency saved the vessel operator multiple days of expensive port delays, off-hire penalties, and potential fixture cancellations.