In-Water Class Survey at Vale dos Cavaleiros 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 Vale dos Cavaleiros Port, Fogo, 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.
A class survey needs the diver to cover the whole underwater hull, including the flat bottom, and at Vale dos Cavaleiros that cannot be done alongside because the berths are too shallow. Surveys here are done at anchor off the port, where the swell rather than the water clarity sets the window. Where the timing is tight, it is often better to plan the survey for the vessel's next call at Praia, and we will say so if that is the case.
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 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
What we do at Vale dos Cavaleiros
- Survey programme agreed in advance with the class society and the surveyor attending at Vale dos Cavaleiros
- 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 ENAPOR – Portos de Cabo Verde
- Full report package with video, stills and findings issued for the class file
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.
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 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 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.
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 — In-Water Survey at Vale dos Cavaleiros
Do you provide in-water class survey at Vale dos Cavaleiros Port?
Yes. Cleanship Marine works Vale dos Cavaleiros Port in Fogo, Cape Verde, covering the two short piers behind the breakwater and anchorage off the port. Teams mobilise via São Filipe (SFL) or Praia (RAI) with the full spread.
Is Vale dos Cavaleiros suitable for an in-water class survey?
It is possible at anchor off the port in a calm window, but not alongside, where the berths are too shallow for work on the flat bottom. If the timing is tight, the vessel's next call at Praia may be the better place, and we will advise honestly which to choose.
Can in-water class survey be done while the vessel works cargo at Vale dos Cavaleiros?
Not usually at the berth. The piers are short and shallow and are needed for the next ferry or coaster, so hull work is done at anchor off the port — or, for a ferry, during a lay-over — in a window the swell allows. The vessel stays on hire throughout, and there is no diversion and no dry dock. We scope against the conditions at Vale dos Cavaleiros and tell you honestly whether the window you have is enough.
Do you need a diving permit from ENAPOR – Portos de Cabo Verde?
Yes, and we obtain it. Diving permission from ENAPOR – Portos de Cabo Verde, 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 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.
Which vessels do you carry out in-water class survey on at Vale dos Cavaleiros?
Inter-island ferries and General cargo coasters — the traffic at Vale dos Cavaleiros Port runs to general cargo, construction materials, food and supplies, 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 Vale dos Cavaleiros?
Divers and equipment mobilise via São Filipe (SFL) or Praia (RAI). 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 Furna or Praia, one mobilisation is often sized to cover both.
What does in-water class survey at Vale dos Cavaleiros cost?
It depends on the vessel's dimensions and wetted area, the fouling state found, the coating specification and the working window available at Vale dos Cavaleiros. 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 Vale dos Cavaleiros and you get a scoped price, usually the same working day.
In-Water Class Survey at Vale dos Cavaleiros Port.
Tell us the vessel, her ETA at Vale dos Cavaleiros and the window. You get a scope, a crew size and an honest duration — usually the same working day.