Western Region · GHSEK

Hull Cleaning at Sekondi Fishing Harbour

In-water hull, propeller and survey work at Sekondi Fishing Harbour — one of Ghana's two main fishing harbours, beside the naval base.

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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 Sekondi Fishing Harbour (GHSEK), Western Region — 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.

The Albert Bosomtwi-Sam Fishing Harbour at Sekondi is one of Ghana's two main fishing harbours, alongside Tema. It was started in 1988 with Japanese grant aid and expanded with a further Japanese grant from 2016, adding berthing capacity and an ice plant, and it serves a large fleet of canoes and semi-industrial fishing vessels. Next door is the Sekondi Naval Base, home port of the Ghana Navy's largest ship.

Working conditions at Sekondi

Sekondi's fishing harbour lies a short distance east of Takoradi port, in the twin city of Sekondi-Takoradi, and it is sheltered behind its own breakwater. It shares a wall with the Sekondi Naval Base, so work near the base boundary follows the navy's security rules. The water is warm and moderately clear away from the landing areas.

Where we work: Fishing harbour basin · Fishing boat berths
Vessels we see here: Semi-industrial fishing vessels · Inshore fishing boats · Fishing canoes

Hull Cleaning scopes at Sekondi

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

Planning the window at Sekondi

The combination of Atlantic swell and rain governs the calendar at Sekondi Fishing Harbour, 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. Because the harbour is sheltered, work here normally runs alongside or at a protected anchorage and can proceed in parallel with cargo operations rather than competing with them for the berth window.

Work is taken at the fishing harbour basin and fishing boat berths, and which of those a vessel ends up at changes the dive plan more than the season does. Teams mobilise via Takoradi (TKD) or Accra (ACC), 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 Sekondi

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 fishing vessels at Sekondi lie alongside between trips in warm, sheltered water, and growth builds quickly on hulls, in sea chests and around the stern gear. Rope and netting around the propeller are a common find.

How we deliver it at Sekondi

1
Scope and vessel details
Tell us the vessel, her particulars, the coating specification and the window at Sekondi. 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
Ghana Ports and Harbours 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 Sekondi
Divers, compressors, brush carts and cameras mobilise via Takoradi (TKD) or Accra (ACC). Where a vessel is also calling at Takoradi, 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.

Sekondi Fishing Harbour at a glance

UN/LOCODE: GHSEK
Port type: State Port
State: Western Region
Country: Ghana
Water body: Gulf of Guinea
Port authority: Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority
Main cargoes: Fishing catch
Crew mobilisation: Takoradi (TKD) / Accra (ACC)
Services here: Hull Cleaning

Frequently asked — Sekondi Fishing Harbour

Does Cleanship provide hull cleaning at Sekondi Fishing Harbour?

Yes. We cover the full hull cleaning scope at Sekondi Fishing Harbour (GHSEK), Western Region — underwater hull cleaning, propeller polishing, thruster cleaning & polishing, in-water class survey and UWILD. Teams mobilise via Takoradi (TKD) or Accra (ACC).

What is underwater visibility like at Sekondi?

Visibility at Sekondi Fishing Harbour is moderate — better than the lagoon ports, reduced near the landing areas and after heavy rain, 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 Sekondi?

Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority issues the port-side approval at Sekondi Fishing Harbour, 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 Sekondi?

Semi-industrial fishing vessels, Inshore fishing boats and Fishing canoes — Sekondi Fishing Harbour is one of Ghana's two main fishing harbours, beside the naval base, 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 Sekondi?

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 Sekondi?

Yes. Takoradi, Elmina and Tema 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 83 ports on the coverage list for this line.

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