Vridi Oil Terminals · CIPBT

In-Water Class Survey at Vridi Oil Terminals

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 Vridi Oil Terminals, 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. 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.

Survey work at the Vridi berths faces two limits at once: the cloudy lagoon water that flows through the canal, and the hazardous-cargo rules at every terminal. For a class survey, the anchorage outside the canal is usually the better place — clearer sea water and no terminal restrictions. Where it has to be done alongside, the lighting plan and the terminal's approval are both agreed before the surveyor attends.

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 Vridi

The Vridi Canal is a straight cut 2.7 kilometres long, 370 metres wide and about 13.5 metres deep, opened in 1950 to join the sea to the Ébrié Lagoon, and the oil terminals line its banks. That puts the tanker berths in a narrow, busy channel with a current running through it as the lagoon exchanges water with the sea, rather than in a quiet basin. In-water work at these berths is therefore timed around the current and the canal traffic, and always agreed with the terminal, because every one of them is a hazardous-cargo berth.

Where we work: Oil berths along the Vridi Canal · Petroci and SIAP tanker berths · Anchorage off the canal entrance
Vessels we see here: Product tankers · Bitumen tankers · LPG carriers · Bunker barges

What we do at Vridi

Survey programme agreed in advance with the class society and the surveyor attending at Vridi
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 Vridi

The combination of Atlantic swell and rain governs the calendar at Vridi Oil Terminals, 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 oil berths along the Vridi Canal, Petroci and SIAP tanker berths, anchorage off the canal entrance, 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 Vridi

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.

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.

Full In-Water Class Survey service details

How we deliver it at Vridi

1
Scope and vessel details
Tell us the vessel, her particulars, the coating specification and the window at Vridi. 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 d'Abidjan 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 Vridi
Divers, compressors, brush carts and cameras mobilise via Abidjan (ABJ). Where a vessel is also calling at Lion, 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.

Vridi Oil Terminals at a glance

UN/LOCODE: CIPBT
Port type: State Port
State: Abidjan
Country: Côte d'Ivoire
Water body: Vridi Canal and the Ébrié Lagoon
Port authority: Port Autonome d'Abidjan
Main cargoes: Crude oil and refined products, Bitumen, LPG
Crew mobilisation: Abidjan (ABJ)
Services here: Hull Cleaning

Frequently asked — In-Water Survey at Vridi

Do you provide in-water class survey at Vridi Oil Terminals?

Yes. Cleanship Marine works Vridi Oil Terminals (CIPBT) in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, covering the oil berths along the Vridi Canal, Petroci and SIAP tanker berths, anchorage off the canal entrance. Teams mobilise via Abidjan (ABJ) with the full spread.

Can an in-water class survey be done alongside at Vridi?

It can, with the terminal's approval and a close-quarters lighting plan agreed with the surveyor, because the canal water is cloudy. In most cases the anchorage outside the canal is the better choice: clearer water and no hazardous-cargo restrictions.

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

Only with the terminal's agreement, because every berth on the Vridi Canal is a hazardous-cargo berth. Where the terminal permits it, work is done alongside at slack water in the canal; where it does not, the vessel is cleaned at the anchorage off the canal entrance before or after her berth. The vessel stays on hire throughout, and there is no diversion and no dry dock. We scope against the conditions at Vridi 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 Vridi?

Visibility at Vridi Oil Terminals is low to moderate — the canal carries lagoon water out to sea and sea water in, and the brackish, sediment-laden lagoon side is much cloudier than the open sea outside, 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 Vridi?

Product tankers, Bitumen tankers, LPG carriers and Bunker barges — the traffic at Vridi Oil Terminals runs to crude oil and refined products, bitumen, LPG, 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 Vridi?

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 Lion or Abidjan, one mobilisation is often sized to cover both.

What does in-water class survey at Vridi cost?

It depends on the vessel's dimensions and wetted area, the fouling state found, the coating specification and the working window available at Vridi. 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 Vridi and you get a scoped price, usually the same working day.

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