Gbôklé · CIZSS

Hull Cleaning at Sassandra Port

In-water hull, propeller and survey work at Sassandra Port — a colonial-era wharf town that is now a fishing port.

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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 Sassandra Port (CIZSS), Gbôklé — 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.

Sassandra was one of Côte d'Ivoire's colonial-era ports — its wharf dates from 1951 and still stands, partly broken, in the middle of the bay — and it lost its trade to San Pédro when the deep-water port opened along the coast. Today it is a fishing town, with a fishing port built with Japanese cooperation, and the vessels that call are fishing boats and small coastal craft.

Working conditions at Sassandra

Sassandra is an open roadstead at the mouth of the Sassandra River, with no breakwater harbour of the size found at San Pédro, so the Atlantic swell reaches the anchorage directly. The river brings fresh water and sediment into the bay, especially in the rainy season, which clouds the water close to the town. In-water work is planned for calm spells and done away from the river plume where possible.

Where we work: Fishing port quay · Roadstead off Sassandra
Vessels we see here: Fishing vessels · Coastal craft · Artisanal fishing boats

Hull Cleaning scopes at Sassandra

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

Planning the window at Sassandra

The combination of Atlantic swell and rain governs the calendar at Sassandra Port, with the heaviest rain from May to October and swell running year-round. The swell here is long-period Atlantic ground swell rather than wind-driven sea, so it reaches the anchorages on days that look calm from the bridge and it is the single biggest cause of a lost in-water window on this coast. 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 fishing port quay and roadstead off Sassandra, and which of those a vessel ends up at changes the dive plan more than the season does. Teams mobilise via San Pédro (SPY) or Abidjan (ABJ), 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 Sassandra

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 boats working out of Sassandra are fishing vessels and small coastal craft that spend long hours slow or stationary in warm water, so growth is heavy and mixed and builds quickly in the niches. Nets and lines around the propeller and rudder are as common a find as the growth itself.

How we deliver it at Sassandra

1
Scope and vessel details
Tell us the vessel, her particulars, the coating specification and the window at Sassandra. 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
the local maritime 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. 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 Sassandra
Divers, compressors, brush carts and cameras mobilise via San Pédro (SPY) or Abidjan (ABJ). Where a vessel is also calling at San Pédro, 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.

Sassandra Port at a glance

UN/LOCODE: CIZSS
Port type: State Port
State: Gbôklé
Country: Côte d'Ivoire
Water body: Gulf of Guinea, at the mouth of the Sassandra River
Port authority: the local maritime authority
Main cargoes: Fishing catch
Crew mobilisation: San Pédro (SPY) / Abidjan (ABJ)
Services here: Hull Cleaning

Frequently asked — Sassandra Port

Does Cleanship provide hull cleaning at Sassandra Port?

Yes. We cover the full hull cleaning scope at Sassandra Port (CIZSS), Gbôklé — underwater hull cleaning, propeller polishing, thruster cleaning & polishing, in-water class survey and UWILD. Teams mobilise via San Pédro (SPY) or Abidjan (ABJ).

What is underwater visibility like at Sassandra?

Visibility at Sassandra Port is variable — reasonable in calm, dry weather away from the shore, but the Sassandra River carries sediment into the bay, especially in the rainy season, and that clouds the water near the town, and the combination of Atlantic swell and rain 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 Sassandra?

the local maritime authority issues the port-side approval at Sassandra 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 Sassandra?

Fishing vessels, Coastal craft and Artisanal fishing boats — Sassandra Port is a colonial-era wharf town that is now a fishing port, handling fishing catch. 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 Sassandra?

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 Sassandra?

Yes. San Pédro, Abidjan and Vridi 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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