Fogo

Hull Cleaning at Vale dos Cavaleiros Port

In-water hull, propeller and survey work at Vale dos Cavaleiros Port — Fogo's only port on an exposed Atlantic coast.

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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 Vale dos Cavaleiros Port, Fogo — 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.

Vale dos Cavaleiros is the only port on Fogo, the volcanic island crowned by Pico do Fogo. It is the island's lifeline — ferries to Praia and Brava and coasters bringing cargo and supplies — and the crossing from Praia can stretch from three and a half to five hours in rough weather. ENAPOR is preparing a master plan to expand it.

Working conditions at Vale dos Cavaleiros

Vale dos Cavaleiros sits on the exposed west coast of Fogo, about three kilometres north of São Filipe, and the Atlantic swell that reaches this coast is the deciding factor for any in-water work. The port was rebuilt in 2013 with a heavy breakwater and two short piers — 70 and 95 metres long, both about 5 metres deep — which is enough for ferries and coasters but leaves little water under the keel. Larger coasters and any dive that needs room lie off the port at anchor.

Where we work: Two short piers behind the breakwater · Anchorage off the port
Vessels we see here: Inter-island ferries · General cargo coasters

Hull Cleaning scopes at Vale dos Cavaleiros

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

Planning the window at Vale dos Cavaleiros

The trade-wind and swell season governs the calendar at Vale dos Cavaleiros 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 two short piers behind the breakwater and anchorage off the port, and which of those a vessel ends up at changes the dive plan more than the season does. Teams mobilise via São Filipe (SFL) or Praia (RAI), 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 Vale dos Cavaleiros

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 and coasters serving Fogo are rarely idle for long — they run the island's supply on a tight schedule — so the fouling we find is steady, even growth from constant short trips in warm water rather than the heavy build-up of a long wait. The niches are the exception: thruster tunnels, sea chests and the stern gear collect growth that the hull flow never clears.

How we deliver it at Vale dos Cavaleiros

1
Scope and vessel details
Tell us the vessel, her particulars, the coating specification and the window at Vale dos Cavaleiros. 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 Vale dos Cavaleiros
Divers, compressors, brush carts and cameras mobilise via São Filipe (SFL) or Praia (RAI). Where a vessel is also calling at Furna, 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.

Vale dos Cavaleiros Port at a glance

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

Frequently asked — Vale dos Cavaleiros Port

Does Cleanship provide hull cleaning at Vale dos Cavaleiros Port?

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

What is underwater visibility like at Vale dos Cavaleiros?

Visibility at Vale dos Cavaleiros Port is usually good — it is open ocean water — but swell stirs up the dark volcanic sand in the shallows near the piers, 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 Vale dos Cavaleiros?

ENAPOR – Portos de Cabo Verde issues the port-side approval at Vale dos Cavaleiros 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 Vale dos Cavaleiros?

Inter-island ferries and General cargo coasters — Vale dos Cavaleiros Port is Fogo's only port on an exposed Atlantic coast, handling general cargo, construction materials, 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 Vale dos Cavaleiros?

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 Vale dos Cavaleiros?

Yes. Furna, 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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