Lion Terminal

In-Water Class Survey at Lion Terminal

Class attendance without opening a dry dock

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

Cleanship Marine delivers class-approved in-water surveys at Lion Terminal, Abidjan, with high-definition live video to a surface monitoring station, diver-to-surveyor communications and a full report package for the class file.

Classification societies accept in-water survey in place of drydocking for many vessels and inspection scopes, provided the work is done by an approved diving contractor to a defined procedure with the surveyor able to see the structure in real time. Survey work at an open anchorage lives and dies on the weather window, so class attendance is booked with a realistic standby allowance rather than a single optimistic date.

Open sea water gives Lion Terminal better visibility than the lagoon ports, but the anchorage is fully exposed to the Atlantic swell, and a surveyor needs the diver to hold steady on the hull for the length of a survey. Surveys here are planned with standby time built in, fitted to the wait for the daylight mooring slot, and agreed with class beforehand.

What it gets you

Survey requirement satisfied without opening a dry dock or taking the vessel off hire
Surveyor sees the structure live rather than reviewing a recording after the fact
Defects located precisely against hull reference marks, not described approximately
A report package built for the class file, not a video dump

Working conditions at Lion

Lion Terminal is a single point mooring in open sea about 1.2 nautical miles off the Port-Bouët lighthouse, so there is no shelter at all: a tanker on the buoy, or waiting for it, takes the full Atlantic swell running onto this coast. Mooring is in daylight only, and pilots board at a temporary anchorage a few miles off the Vridi Canal entrance. No in-water work is done at the buoy or while a tanker is connected; it happens at that anchorage, before or after.

Where we work: Temporary anchorage off the Vridi Canal entrance · Sea area outside the SPM safety zone
Vessels we see here: Crude tankers of 80,000 to 250,000 dwt · Mooring and support craft

What we do at Lion

Survey programme agreed in advance with the class society and the surveyor attending at Lion
Hull plating, welds, sea chests, rudder, propeller and stern gear inspected to the agreed scope
Live high-definition video to the surface station with two-way diver-to-surveyor communications
Hull markings and reference points confirmed so the surveyor can locate every feature precisely
Diving permission and any environmental clearance cleared with Port Autonome d'Abidjan
Full report package with video, stills and findings issued for the class file

Planning the window at Lion

The combination of Atlantic swell and rain governs the calendar at Lion Terminal, 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. The buoy itself is off limits, so hull work is done with the tanker at the temporary anchorage off the Vridi Canal entrance, before she is moored or after she is released; the dive plan is built around the daylight mooring schedule and the swell.

Work is taken at the temporary anchorage off the Vridi Canal entrance and sea area outside the SPM safety zone, and which of those a vessel ends up at changes the dive plan more than the season does. Teams mobilise via 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 Lion

Liquid and gas tonnage here spends long stretches at the terminal or waiting for a slot, so growth tends to be even and well established across the hull rather than patchy — heavier than the trading pattern suggests, and further along than a speed report alone would indicate.

The large crude tankers that discharge at Lion Terminal often wait at the anchorage for their daylight mooring slot, and waiting in warm Gulf of Guinea water is what adds growth fastest. Because they arrive laden and leave light, the hull they present at the anchorage before discharge is at its deepest — the full wetted area is underwater.

Standard scope of work

Included as standard on every in-water class survey attendance, wherever the vessel is. Anything outside it is quoted separately and flagged before mobilisation, never added afterwards.

Hull structure inspection: Shell plating, welds, bilge keels and openings inspected with continuous video and commentary, with cleaning of areas as needed for meaningful viewing.
Rudder and steering gear: Rudder plating, pintles, bearings and clearances inspected and, where required, measured.
Propeller and stern arrangement: Propeller, boss, rope guard and stern tube seal inspected for damage, erosion and leakage.
Sea chests and openings: Sea chests, gratings, valves and overboard discharges inspected and recorded.
Anodes and coating: Sacrificial anode wastage assessed and coating condition mapped for planning the next dry docking.

Full In-Water Class Survey service details

How we deliver it at Lion

1
Scope and vessel details
Tell us the vessel, her particulars, the coating specification and the window at Lion. 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
Access at Lion Terminal is the terminal operator's decision as much as Port Autonome d'Abidjan's, so both are in the approval chain from the start — a berth-side refusal discovered at the gangway costs the whole attendance. 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 Lion
Divers, compressors, brush carts and cameras mobilise via Abidjan (ABJ). Where a vessel is also calling at Vridi, 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 in-water class survey 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.

Lion Terminal at a glance

Port type: Private Port
State: Abidjan
Country: Côte d'Ivoire
Water body: Gulf of Guinea, off Port-Bouët
Port authority: Port Autonome d'Abidjan
Main cargoes: Crude oil
Crew mobilisation: Abidjan (ABJ)
Services here: Hull Cleaning

Frequently asked — In-Water Survey at Lion

Do you provide in-water class survey at Lion Terminal?

Yes. Cleanship Marine works Lion Terminal in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, covering the temporary anchorage off the Vridi Canal entrance and sea area outside the SPM safety zone. Teams mobilise via Abidjan (ABJ) with the full spread.

Can a class survey be done while a tanker waits for Lion Terminal?

Yes — the wait for the daylight mooring slot is a good time for it. The anchorage has clear sea water but is exposed to swell, so we plan the survey with standby time and agree the programme with the class society in advance.

Can in-water class survey be done while the vessel works cargo at Lion?

No — nothing is done while a tanker is connected to the buoy. Hull work is done at the temporary anchorage off the Vridi Canal entrance, typically while she waits for her daylight mooring slot, or after she is released. The vessel stays on hire throughout, and there is no diversion and no dry dock. We scope against the conditions at Lion and tell you honestly whether the window you have is enough.

Do you need a diving permit from Port Autonome d'Abidjan?

Yes, and we obtain it. Diving permission from Port Autonome d'Abidjan, terminal approval where the berth requires it, and any environmental clearance for in-water work are arranged as part of the job rather than left with the agent. The master's permit to work and the immobilisation of machinery are agreed on board before anyone enters the water.

What is underwater visibility like at Lion?

Visibility at Lion Terminal is good by the standards of this coast — it is open sea water, clearer than the lagoon inside the Vridi Canal — so the swell rather than visibility decides when a diver can work, 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.

Which vessels do you carry out in-water class survey on at Lion?

Crude tankers of 80,000 to 250,000 dwt, Mooring and support craft — the traffic at Lion Terminal runs to crude oil, so those are the profiles we see most. The scope is sized to the vessel, not to a standard package.

How quickly can a team mobilise to Lion?

Divers and equipment mobilise via Abidjan (ABJ). Give us the ETA and the window and we will confirm what is achievable rather than promise a date we cannot hold. Where the vessel also calls at Vridi or Abidjan, one mobilisation is often sized to cover both.

What does in-water class survey at Lion cost?

It depends on the vessel's dimensions and wetted area, the fouling state found, the coating specification and the working window available at Lion. We would rather scope it properly and give you a specific figure than quote a headline rate that changes once the work starts. Send the details and the window at Lion and you get a scoped price, usually the same working day.

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