Propeller Polishing at Sal Rei Port
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 Sal Rei Port, Boa Vista. 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 alongside or at anchor.
The propeller is the highest-leverage surface on any vessel calling at Sal Rei: it runs at high relative velocity, so roughness there costs disproportionately more than the same roughness spread over the hull. For the general cargo and container coasters, inter-island ferries, fishing vessels working this port, polishing is the shortest route to a measurable fuel saving.
The waters around Boa Vista are shallow and sandy near the coast, and the fine sand the trade wind lifts off the island ends up in the water. For a propeller, sand in the water column adds a slow abrasive wear on top of the usual fouling, so a polish here is also a chance to look carefully at the blade edges for erosion and small damage. Anything found is photographed and reported rather than polished over.
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 Sal Rei
Sal Rei's wharf, built in 2015, is 160 metres long with a minimum depth of 7 metres and is protected by a 930-metre breakwater, so the berth itself is sheltered. Outside it, Boa Vista is a low, sandy island ringed by shoals and reefs — its coast is known for its shipwrecks — and the sand the trade wind carries off the island clouds the shallow water near the shore. Vessels that are too big for the wharf lie at anchor off the town.
- Where we work
- 160-metre wharf behind the breakwater · Anchorage off Sal Rei
- Vessels we see here
- General cargo and container coasters · Inter-island ferries · Fishing vessels
What we do at Sal Rei
- 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 ENAPOR – Portos de Cabo Verde, 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 Sal Rei
The trade-wind and swell season governs the calendar at Sal Rei 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. 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 160-metre wharf behind the breakwater and anchorage off Sal Rei, and which of those a vessel ends up at changes the dive plan more than the season does. Teams mobilise via Boa Vista (BVC), 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 Sal Rei
Container tonnage on a fixed rotation shows the familiar pattern: light slime over most of the vertical sides, with the real accumulation in the flat bottom, the bilge keels and the niches where flow is slowest. Those are the areas that cost fuel and the ones a quick clean tends to skip.
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 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 Sal Rei
- 1
Scope and vessel details
Tell us the vessel, her particulars, the coating specification and the window at Sal Rei. 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 Sal Rei
Divers, compressors, brush carts and cameras mobilise via Boa Vista (BVC). Where a vessel is also calling at Palmeira, 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.
Sal Rei Port at a glance
- UN/LOCODE
- CVSAR
- Port type
- State Port
- Island
- Boa Vista
- Country
- Cape Verde
- Water body
- Atlantic Ocean, behind the Ilhéu de Sal Rei
- Port authority
- ENAPOR – Portos de Cabo Verde
- Main cargoes
- Construction materials, Containers, General cargo, Food and supplies
- Crew mobilisation
- Boa Vista (BVC)
- Services here
- Hull Cleaning
Frequently asked — Propeller Polishing at Sal Rei
Do you provide propeller polishing at Sal Rei Port?
Yes. Cleanship Marine works Sal Rei Port (CVSAR) in Boa Vista, Cape Verde, covering the 160-metre wharf behind the breakwater and anchorage off Sal Rei. Teams mobilise via Boa Vista (BVC) with the full spread.
Do you check for blade damage when polishing at Sal Rei?
Always, and it matters more here. Boa Vista's shallow, sandy coast means sand in the water, which can wear the blade edges. We inspect both faces, the edges and the tips, and any erosion or damage is photographed and reported rather than polished over.
Can propeller polishing be done while the vessel works cargo at Sal Rei?
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 Sal Rei 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 Sal Rei?
Visibility at Sal Rei Port is good in deeper water but reduced near the shore, where sand blown and washed off the island hangs in the shallows, 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 propeller polishing on at Sal Rei?
General cargo and container coasters, Inter-island ferries, Fishing vessels — the traffic at Sal Rei Port runs to construction materials, containers and general cargo, 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 Sal Rei?
Divers and equipment mobilise via Boa Vista (BVC). 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 Palmeira or Praia, one mobilisation is often sized to cover both.
What does propeller polishing at Sal Rei cost?
It depends on the vessel's dimensions and wetted area, the fouling state found, the coating specification and the working window available at Sal Rei. 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 Sal Rei and you get a scoped price, usually the same working day.
Propeller Polishing at Sal Rei Port.
Tell us the vessel, her ETA at Sal Rei and the window. You get a scope, a crew size and an honest duration — usually the same working day.