Brava

Hull Cleaning at Furna Port

In-water hull, propeller and survey work at Furna Port — Brava's only link to the outside world.

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

Cleanship Marine provides the full underwater scope at Furna Port, Brava — hull cleaning, propeller super polishing, bow and stern thruster work, class-approved in-water survey and UWILD. Every scope is carried out with the vessel afloat and on hire, at the berth or at the anchorage.

Furna is Brava's only port and, with no scheduled flights to the island, its only link to the rest of the country: ferries to São Filipe on Fogo and to Praia on Santiago, and small coasters bringing everything the island needs. It has been the island's main harbour since 1843, when it took over from Fajã d'Água.

Working conditions at Furna

Furna is a small natural bay on the north-east coast of Brava, the smallest inhabited island in Cape Verde, and it is exposed to the Atlantic in a way the bigger harbours are not — in 1982 the tropical storm Beryl sent waves of up to ten metres into the bay and destroyed boats and houses. The port was improved in 2000, but it remains a tight berth for the ferries, and swell decides when a diver can work. Fajã d'Água, the island's harbour until 1843, is a sheltered bay a few kilometres away on the north-west coast that is still used as an anchorage.

Where we work: Ferry berth in Furna bay · Anchorage off Furna · Fajã d'Água bay on the north-west coast
Vessels we see here: Inter-island ferries · Small cargo coasters · Fishing boats

Hull Cleaning scopes at Furna

5 scopes, one team and one mobilisation. Most vessels calling here take more than one on the same attendance.

Planning the window at Furna

The trade-wind and swell season governs the calendar at Furna Port, with the strongest trade winds from roughly December to May, and a short rainy season from August to October. The islands sit in open ocean, so a port's exposure depends on which side of its island it faces: the lee-side harbours stay calm while the trade wind blows, but long-period swell from North Atlantic storms reaches the north and west coasts in winter, and the late-summer tropical waves that pass through here can turn into storms. Work here is done with the vessel riding to her anchor, so the dive plan is built around sea state and swell rather than a berth slot, and the team stands by for a workable window rather than a scheduled one.

Work is taken at the ferry berth in Furna bay, anchorage off Furna and Fajã d'Água bay on the north-west coast, and which of those a vessel ends up at changes the dive plan more than the season does. Teams mobilise via São Filipe (SFL) on Fogo, then ferry or Praia (RAI), then ferry, 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 Furna

The working fleet here spends most of its life at low speed in warm water, so growth is heavy, mixed and reaches the hard calcareous stage sooner than on deep-sea tonnage. Left too long it starts damaging the coating rather than just slowing the vessel.

The ferries that serve Brava are working vessels on a timetable, not ships waiting at anchor, so hull growth builds steadily between dockings rather than in one long idle spell. What we find most often is heavier growth in the sheltered niches — thruster tunnels, sea chest gratings and around the stern gear — where the flow over the hull never reaches.

How we deliver it at Furna

1
Scope and vessel details
Tell us the vessel, her particulars, the coating specification and the window at Furna. 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
Permits and approvals
ENAPOR – Portos de Cabo Verde 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. Diving permission, terminal approval and any environmental clearance for in-water work are handled by us, not left with the agent to chase.
3
Mobilisation to Furna
Divers, compressors, brush carts and cameras mobilise via São Filipe (SFL) on Fogo, then ferry or Praia (RAI), then ferry. Where a vessel is also calling at Vale dos Cavaleiros, one mobilisation is normally sized to cover both.
4
Safety setup and the dive
The vessel is secured for diving — main engine, shaft and thrusters immobilised, sea suctions confirmed shut, permit agreed with the master. Teams work under surface supervision with continuous diver communications and video throughout.
5
Report and handover
A completion report covering hull cleaning is issued with before-and-after imagery, coating and anode condition and anything found that you should know about. The findings are discussed with the vessel rather than emailed and forgotten.

Furna Port at a glance

Port type: State Port
Island: Brava
Country: Cape Verde
Water body: Atlantic Ocean
Port authority: ENAPOR – Portos de Cabo Verde
Main cargoes: General cargo, Food and supplies
Crew mobilisation: São Filipe (SFL) on Fogo, then ferry / Praia (RAI), then ferry
Services here: Hull Cleaning

Frequently asked — Furna Port

Does Cleanship provide hull cleaning at Furna Port?

Yes. We cover the full hull cleaning scope at Furna Port, Brava — underwater hull cleaning, propeller polishing, thruster cleaning & polishing, in-water class survey and UWILD. Teams mobilise via São Filipe (SFL) on Fogo, then ferry or Praia (RAI), then ferry.

What is underwater visibility like at Furna?

Visibility at Furna Port is good in calm conditions, since it is clear Atlantic water, but swell working into the small bay stirs the bottom and reduces it, and the trade-wind and swell season sets the outer limits of the calendar. How the tide and sea state shape the dive plan is set out in full in the working-conditions section on this page.

Who approves hull cleaning work at Furna?

ENAPOR – Portos de Cabo Verde issues the port-side approval at Furna Port, with terminal approval on top where the berth requires it. We arrange both, along with any environmental clearance for in-water cleaning, so it does not fall to the agent or the master.

Which vessels call at Furna?

Inter-island ferries, Small cargo coasters and Fishing boats — Furna Port is Brava's only link to the outside world, handling general cargo, food and supplies. Wetted area, coating specification and how long the vessel has been sitting are what size a hull job, so the same berth can produce very different attendances.

Can this be done without taking the vessel off hire at Furna?

Yes — that is the point of it. Every scope listed here is carried out with the vessel afloat and working, at the berth, at the anchorage or on the passage out. Divers work with the vessel afloat at the berth or the anchorage, so there is no dry dock, no diversion and no off-hire.

Do you cover other ports near Furna?

Yes. Vale dos Cavaleiros, Praia and Mindelo all sit within the same operating range for hull cleaning, and a single mobilisation is often sized to cover more than one vessel on the same trip. We work 80 ports on the coverage list for this line.

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