2025
Best Practices for Vessel Cleaning Applications

Best practices for cargo ship hold cleaning involve three important areas: cleaning solutions, cleaning strategy and safety. Together, these three areas have the greatest impact on efficiency and smooth operation.
Cargo ship hold cleaning; best practice areas of application
- Cleaning solutions
- Cleaning strategy
- Safety: Personnel & environment
Cleaning solutions
Cargo hold cleaning best practices feature diligence, thoroughness, efficiency and speed. So having the right tools is paramount. Cleaning crews need alkaline solutions for cleaning residues left by acidic cargos like salt and sulphur. They also need heavy-duty carbon removers for greasy cargos like coal and petcoke.
Solutions like marine barriers, used to protect the ship from chemical reactions, enhance the ultimate longevity of the vessel.
Hence, the crew's ability to use the correct solution in the right situation maximises all of those best practice features.
Cleaning strategy
Every operation needs a plan, especially cargo ship hold cleaning since timelines are so tight. Examples of a best-practice cleaning strategy include:
- Training for hold cleaning crew
- Written guides and instructions posted
- Access to appropriate cleaning equipment and PPE
- Ample cleaning supplies available
Safety: Personnel & environment
Safety is key to protecting the health of your crew, their efficiency and morale. No one wants to see anyone hurt, nor do they want to deal with lawsuits or injury claims. The same can be said for marine biome safety. Protecting them keeps marine life healthy and aids compliance with marine safety protocols, like MARPOL. Use environmentally friendly cleaning solutions that are proven non-harmful to people and marine environments.
Vessels that implement these best practices in cargo ship hold cleaning optimize their ability to move from port to port successfully within tight time constraints.
Thousands of vessels trust RBM eco-friendly products. Have questions or need help with your order? We’d love to hear from you. Contact RBM Hold Solutions. 1-604-531-8333