Propeller Polishing at Baobab Marine Terminal
Mirror finish, measurably lower fuel burn
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Tell us the vessel, the port and the window. Scoped reply, usually the same working day.
Cleanship Marine carries out underwater propeller super polishing at Baobab Marine Terminal, Block CI-40. Divers work the blades through a multi-stage sequence to a Class A mirror finish, removing fouling, calcareous deposits and accumulated surface roughness while the vessel lies at the anchorage.
The propeller is the highest-leverage surface on any vessel calling at Baobab: it runs at high relative velocity, so roughness there costs disproportionately more than the same roughness spread over the hull. For the fpso baobab ivoirien mv10, shuttle tankers and offshore support vessels working this port, polishing is the shortest route to a measurable fuel saving.
The Baobab FPSO stays on its moorings and does not rely on a propeller in service, so propeller polishing at Baobab is for the shuttle tankers and support vessels. A shuttle tanker that waits for its slot in warm water picks up growth on the blades, and polishing her before she loads — in the field, under the operator's rules — sends her off on the laden voyage with a clean propeller.
What it gets you
- Blade roughness removed where it costs the most, at the highest-velocity surface on the vessel
- Propeller efficiency restored between dockings without off-hire
- Cavitation erosion and edge damage documented before it becomes a repair item
- A finish record that supports hull and propeller performance monitoring
Working conditions at Baobab
Baobab is a deep-water field about 25 kilometres off the coast in 900 to 1,300 metres of water, so the FPSO is held by a spread mooring far above the sea bed and everything on the field works in open Atlantic swell. The depth means all work stays close to the surface — on the FPSO's hull, the mooring connections at the hull and the offloading vessels — and it is done under the operator's field permit system.
- Where we work
- FPSO Baobab Ivoirien on station · Shuttle tanker offloading area · Field support vessel moorings
- Vessels we see here
- FPSO Baobab Ivoirien MV10 · Shuttle tankers · Offshore support vessels
What we do at Baobab
- Blade condition assessment covering both faces, the leading and trailing edges and the tips
- Multi-stage polishing sequence worked down to a Class A mirror finish
- Boss, hub and fairing cone cleaned, with rope guard and seal area inspected
- Edge damage, cavitation erosion and any deformation photographed and reported rather than polished over
- Diving permission cleared with CNR International, and the shaft confirmed immobilised with the master before the dive
- Before-and-after video and a written finish record for the performance file
Planning the window at Baobab
The combination of Atlantic swell and rain governs the calendar at Baobab Marine 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. There is no anchor and no berth here: the FPSO is held on station by her own moorings, and shuttle tankers and support vessels work around her, so the dive plan is built around the field's production and offloading programme and the swell, under the operator's permit system.
Work is taken at the FPSO Baobab Ivoirien on station, shuttle tanker offloading area and field support vessel moorings, 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 Baobab
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.
On a 346,000-tonne FPSO that stays on station, the growth that matters is at the sea chests, water intakes and caissons, and around the mooring and riser connections at the hull, where it adds weight and blocks flow. The shuttle tankers show the ordinary pattern of growth from waiting in warm water for their offloading slot.
Standard scope of work
Included as standard on every propeller polishing attendance, wherever the vessel is. Anything outside it is quoted separately and flagged before mobilisation, never added afterwards.
- Deposit removal
- Calcareous growth, shell and hard deposits removed from both blade faces without gouging or scoring the blade surface.
- Progressive polishing
- Successive abrasive grades work the blade from rough to fine, finishing at a Class A mirror surface across the full blade area.
- Edge finishing
- Leading and trailing edges dressed to restore profile and remove the roughness that seeds cavitation.
- Boss and hub
- Boss, hub and rope guard cleaned, with stern tube seal condition inspected and reported.
How we deliver it at Baobab
- 1
Scope and vessel details
Tell us the vessel, her particulars, the coating specification and the window at Baobab. 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 Baobab Marine Terminal is the terminal operator's decision as much as CNR International'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 Baobab
Divers, compressors, brush carts and cameras mobilise via Abidjan (ABJ). Where a vessel is also calling at Espoir, 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 propeller polishing 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.
Baobab Marine Terminal at a glance
- UN/LOCODE
- CIBAO
- Port type
- Private Port
- State
- Block CI-40
- Country
- Côte d'Ivoire
- Water body
- Gulf of Guinea
- Port authority
- CNR International
- Main cargoes
- Crude oil
- Crew mobilisation
- Abidjan (ABJ)
- Services here
- Hull Cleaning
Frequently asked — Propeller Polishing at Baobab
Do you provide propeller polishing at Baobab Marine Terminal?
Yes. Cleanship Marine works Baobab Marine Terminal (CIBAO) in Block CI-40, Côte d'Ivoire, covering the FPSO Baobab Ivoirien on station, shuttle tanker offloading area and field support vessel moorings. Teams mobilise via Abidjan (ABJ) with the full spread.
Who needs propeller polishing at the Baobab field?
The shuttle tankers and field support vessels, not the FPSO, which stays moored. A shuttle tanker can be polished while she waits for her offloading slot, so the polished propeller works for the whole laden voyage.
Can propeller polishing be done while the vessel works cargo at Baobab?
Only within the operator's permit system. Work on the FPSO is planned around production and offloading; shuttle tankers are cleaned while they wait in the field, never during a connected offloading. The vessel stays on hire throughout, and there is no diversion and no dry dock. We scope against the conditions at Baobab and tell you honestly whether the window you have is enough.
Do you need a diving permit from CNR International?
Yes, and we obtain it. Diving permission from CNR International, 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 Baobab?
Visibility at Baobab Marine Terminal is good — clear, deep open-sea water — so the swell and the field's operations set the window, not what a diver can see, 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 propeller polishing on at Baobab?
FPSO Baobab Ivoirien MV10, Shuttle tankers and Offshore support vessels — the traffic at Baobab Marine 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 Baobab?
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 Espoir or Lion, one mobilisation is often sized to cover both.
What does propeller polishing at Baobab cost?
It depends on the vessel's dimensions and wetted area, the fouling state found, the coating specification and the working window available at Baobab. 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 Baobab and you get a scoped price, usually the same working day.
Propeller Polishing at Baobab Marine Terminal.
Tell us the vessel, her ETA at Baobab and the window. You get a scope, a crew size and an honest duration — usually the same working day.