Freetown Port · SLFNA

Cargo Hold Cleaning (Shore Gang) at Freetown Port

Holds ready for the next fixture before the vessel sails

Get a quote

Tell us the vessel, the port and the window. Scoped reply, usually the same working day.

Cleanship Marine puts shore gangs on board at Freetown Port, Western Area, to clean cargo holds between fixtures — sweeping, washing, rinsing and drying to the standard the next cargo demands, worked at the container terminal (berths 3–6), bulk and break-bulk berths.

Freetown's hold work is mostly bagged rice, break-bulk and project cargo rather than a bulk residue clean — broken bags, spilled grain, dunnage and lashing waste — and the rainy season is the complication: a hold washed between May and October will not dry by itself.

Holds discharged at Freetown are usually bagged rice and break-bulk: split bags, spilled grain, dunnage and lashing waste rather than a hard bulk residue. Our gang sweeps and removes it as discharge finishes. Spilled rice that gets wet ferments and attracts pests, so it is taken out before it can spoil, and in the rainy season the holds are ventilated and dried rather than left to dry by themselves.

What it gets you

Holds presented to the standard the next fixture actually requires
Inspection failures and the resulting demurrage avoided
Residue and washings disposed of to MARPOL Annex V rather than left as the master's problem
Crew kept on their own work instead of on cleaning duty

Working conditions at Freetown

Work here runs both alongside and at anchorage depending on the call, and on the passage out where neither gives enough time. The combination of Atlantic swell and rain sets the outer limits of the calendar, with the heaviest rain from May to October and swell running year-round, and it affects the anchorage far more than the berth. Humidity is high year-round and the rains make it worse, which matters more than temperature for enclosed-space work: holds will not dry, and a hold that cannot be dried cannot be closed. Access approval runs through Sierra Leone Ports Authority and the terminal, and the disposal route for residues and washings is fixed before the gang boards rather than found afterwards.

Where we work: Container terminal (berths 3–6) · Bulk and break-bulk berths · Kissy Oil Terminal · Inner harbour anchorage
Vessels we see here: Feeder container ships · General cargo and break-bulk ships · Product tankers · Fishing vessels · Freetown–Lungi ferries

What we do at Freetown

Sweeping and removal of cargo residues, dunnage and lashing waste from tank tops, frames and brackets
Fresh or sea water washing with the correct chemical treatment for the residue found, followed by a fresh water rinse
Bilge wells, strum boxes, bilge lines and hold ladders cleaned and tested
Drying and ventilation so holds pass inspection rather than merely look clean
Residue and washing water handled to MARPOL Annex V requirements and the disposal rules in force at Freetown
Hold-by-hold photographic record and a completion report ahead of the inspection

Planning the window at Freetown

The combination of Atlantic swell and rain governs the calendar at Freetown Port, with the heaviest rain from May to October and swell running year-round. For hold work the wind matters less than the rain: holds cannot be washed, dried and closed in wet weather, and a hold shut up damp fails inspection however clean it looks. Some vessels sit and some turn straight round, so the plan is agreed against the actual call rather than a standard package: a shore gang alongside where there is time, a riding crew on the outward passage where there is not.

Teams mobilise via Freetown Lungi (FNA), 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 Freetown

Agricultural and fertiliser parcels dominate here, and they are the unforgiving residues: hygroscopic, corrosive to coatings if left damp, and an outright inspection failure ahead of a food-grade cargo. Holds shut up wet at Freetown are holds that need doing twice.

The condition we find here varies more than at most ports, because some vessels have had days at anchor to work the holds and some have had none. The scope is confirmed on boarding rather than assumed from the fixture.

Standard scope of work

Included as standard on every cargo hold cleaning attendance, wherever the vessel is. Anything outside it is quoted separately and flagged before mobilisation, never added afterwards.

Sweeping and residue removal: Full manual and mechanical sweep of tank tops, hoppers, brackets and frames, with residues bagged for landing ashore in line with MARPOL Annex V.
High-pressure washing: Fresh or sea water washing at working pressures suited to the coating condition, covering tank top, hopper plating, side frames, bulkheads and the underside of hatch covers.
Chemical treatment: Application of marine-approved, biodegradable degreasers and hold cleaners where previous cargoes have left oily, staining or odour-bearing residues.
Rinsing and drying: Fresh water rinse to remove salt and chemical traces, followed by forced drying and bilge drying so holds present dry, odour-free and free of loose scale.
Bilge wells and hatch coamings: Bilge wells cleaned, strainers cleared and non-return valves tested; coamings, drain channels and compression bars cleaned so hatch covers seal correctly.

Full Hold Cleaning Shore Gang service details

How we deliver it at Freetown

1
Scope and vessel details
Tell us the vessel, her particulars, the last and next cargo and the window at Freetown. 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
Approvals and waste routing
Sierra Leone Ports Authority approves the work alongside the local harbour master, and at a state port that conversation is quicker but less formal — it is worth having in writing. The disposal route for residues and washings is fixed before the gang boards — MARPOL Annex V compliance is a documented chain, not an assurance. Where reception at Freetown is limited, the plan changes rather than the paperwork.
3
Mobilisation to Freetown
Gangs, pumps, chemicals and equipment mobilise via Freetown Lungi (FNA). Where a vessel is also calling at Pepel, one mobilisation is normally sized to cover both.
4
Entry, sequencing and the work
Enclosed-space entry runs to the vessel's own permit system, with a fresh gas test before every entry and after every break. Gas testing, standby cover and continuous supervision run throughout, and progress is reported hold by hold rather than only at the end.
5
Report and handover
A completion report covering cargo hold cleaning is issued with before-and-after imagery, hold by hold and anything found that you should know about. The findings are discussed with the vessel rather than emailed and forgotten.

Freetown Port at a glance

UN/LOCODE: SLFNA
Port type: State Port
State: Western Area
Country: Sierra Leone
Water body: Sierra Leone River estuary
Port authority: Sierra Leone Ports Authority
Main cargoes: Containers, Rice and bagged general cargo, Break-bulk and project cargo, Fuel, Fishing catch
Crew mobilisation: Freetown Lungi (FNA)
Services here: Hull Cleaning and Hold Cleaning

Frequently asked — Cargo Hold Cleaning at Freetown

Do you provide cargo hold cleaning at Freetown Port?

Yes. Cleanship Marine works Freetown Port (SLFNA) in Western Area, Sierra Leone, covering the container terminal (berths 3–6), bulk and break-bulk berths, Kissy Oil Terminal, inner harbour anchorage. Teams mobilise via Freetown Lungi (FNA) with the full spread.

What does hold cleaning at Freetown usually involve?

Removing spilled bagged rice, broken bags, dunnage and lashing waste after discharge, then washing and drying the holds. In the rainy season, drying the holds properly is the part that takes planning.

Can cargo hold cleaning be done while the vessel works cargo at Freetown?

It depends on the call. Where the vessel has time, a shore gang works the holds alongside as they empty; where she turns straight round, a riding crew completes them on the passage. The vessel stays on hire throughout, and there is no diversion and no dry dock. We scope against the conditions at Freetown and tell you honestly whether the window you have is enough.

How are hold washings and cargo residues disposed of at Freetown?

To MARPOL Annex V, through the reception route agreed with Sierra Leone Ports Authority and the terminal before the gang boards. Residues, sweepings and washing water are tracked from the hold to reception with documentation, so the vessel has a record rather than an assurance. Where reception capacity at Freetown is limited, we change the plan rather than the paperwork.

Where is the work done at Freetown — alongside, at anchorage or on passage?

Work here runs both alongside and at anchorage depending on the call, and on the passage out where neither gives enough time. Between June and September the binding constraint is working temperature inside the space rather than access to it.

Which vessels do you carry out cargo hold cleaning on at Freetown?

Feeder container ships, General cargo and break-bulk ships, Product tankers, Fishing vessels, Freetown–Lungi ferries — the traffic at Freetown Port runs to containers, rice and bagged general cargo, break-bulk and project cargo, 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 Freetown?

Crews and equipment mobilise via Freetown Lungi (FNA). 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 Pepel or Conakry, one mobilisation is often sized to cover both.

What does cargo hold cleaning at Freetown cost?

It depends on the number of holds, the residue from the last cargo, the standard the next fixture demands and how much time the call at Freetown actually gives. 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 Freetown and you get a scoped price, usually the same working day.

Get in touch