In-Water Class Survey at Lomé Port
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 Lomé Port, Maritime Region, 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. Shelter is on your side here — the vessel is stable and the dive is uninterrupted — but basin silt means the lighting and camera plan has to be agreed with the surveyor before the class attendance is booked, not improvised on the day.
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 Lomé
Lomé is the deepest natural harbour on the West African coast and it does not silt the way the lagoon and river ports along this shore do, so the working conditions here are the best in the region by a clear margin. Alongside work runs year-round. The bunkering anchorage off the port carries a standing population of tankers waiting for orders, which is where most of the in-water work actually happens — and where the Atlantic swell is the only real constraint.
- Where we work
- Container terminal berths · Bunkering anchorage · General cargo and bulk berths
- Vessels we see here
- Main-line and feeder container ships · Bunker tankers and barges · Handysize bulk carriers · General cargo ships
What we do at Lomé
- Survey programme agreed in advance with the class society and the surveyor attending at Lomé
- 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 de Lomé
- Full report package with video, stills and findings issued for the class file
Planning the window at Lomé
The Atlantic swell and the rains governs the calendar at Lomé 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. 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 container terminal berths, bunkering anchorage, general cargo and bulk berths, and which of those a vessel ends up at changes the dive plan more than the season does. Teams mobilise via Lomé (LFW), 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 Lomé
Dry bulk handling here puts cargo dust into the water around the berths and anchorage. It settles on horizontal surfaces and packs into sea chest gratings and inlet openings, so inlet and grating clearance is routinely a larger part of the job at Lomé than owners budget for.
Shelter is a mixed blessing for a hull. The same calm that makes the port easy to work in is still water, and still water grows fouling faster than an exposed berth does.
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.
How we deliver it at Lomé
- 1
Scope and vessel details
Tell us the vessel, her particulars, the coating specification and the window at Lomé. 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
Port Autonome de Lomé 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 Lomé
Divers, compressors, brush carts and cameras mobilise via Lomé (LFW). Where a vessel is also calling at Kpémé, 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.
Lomé Port at a glance
- UN/LOCODE
- TGLFW
- Port type
- State Port
- State
- Maritime Region
- Country
- Togo
- Water body
- Gulf of Guinea
- Port authority
- Port Autonome de Lomé
- Main cargoes
- Containers and transhipment, Bunkers, Clinker and cement, General cargo, Cotton and agricultural bulk
- Crew mobilisation
- Lomé (LFW)
- Services here
- Hull Cleaning, Hold Cleaning and Tank Cleaning
Frequently asked — In-Water Survey at Lomé
Do you provide in-water class survey at Lomé Port?
Yes. Cleanship Marine works Lomé Port (TGLFW) in Maritime Region, Togo, covering the container terminal berths, bunkering anchorage, general cargo and bulk berths. Teams mobilise via Lomé (LFW) with the full spread.
Can in-water class survey be done while the vessel works cargo at Lomé?
Yes, in most cases. The harbour is sheltered enough that divers work alongside while cargo operations continue, and neither holds the other up. The vessel stays on hire throughout, and there is no diversion and no dry dock. We scope against the conditions at Lomé and tell you honestly whether the window you have is enough.
Do you need a diving permit from Port Autonome de Lomé?
Yes, and we obtain it. Diving permission from Port Autonome de Lomé, 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 Lomé?
Visibility at Lomé Port is moderate, and it drops further around active bulk handling and after heavy rain, and the Atlantic swell and the rains 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 Lomé?
Main-line and feeder container ships, Bunker tankers and barges, Handysize bulk carriers, General cargo ships — the traffic at Lomé Port runs to containers and transhipment, bunkers, clinker and cement, 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 Lomé?
Divers and equipment mobilise via Lomé (LFW). 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 Kpémé or Cotonou, one mobilisation is often sized to cover both.
What does in-water class survey at Lomé cost?
It depends on the vessel's dimensions and wetted area, the fouling state found, the coating specification and the working window available at Lomé. 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 Lomé and you get a scoped price, usually the same working day.
In-Water Class Survey at Lomé Port.
Tell us the vessel, her ETA at Lomé and the window. You get a scope, a crew size and an honest duration — usually the same working day.