Sal Rei Port · CVSAR

Thruster Cleaning & Polishing at Sal Rei Port

Full thrust restored when you need it most

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Tell us the vessel, the port and the window. Scoped reply, usually the same working day.

Cleanship Marine cleans and polishes bow and stern thrusters at Sal Rei Port, Boa Vista. Divers clear the full tunnel bore, polish the blades and hub, and clear the gratings, restoring the manoeuvring thrust that quietly disappears while a vessel sits idle.

Thruster tunnels are the worst fouling trap on a hull — sheltered, still and almost never inspected. Growth builds on the tunnel walls, blades and gratings without anyone noticing until manoeuvring performance drops, and at Sal Rei — the supply port of Boa Vista on a reef-lined coast — that tends to show at exactly the moment the thrust is needed.

The wharf at Sal Rei is short and sits behind a breakwater, so the ferries and coasters that use it have to turn and berth in limited space with the trade wind blowing across the harbour. That is a job for the bow thruster, and it is the job a fouled thruster fails at. A clean at anchor before berthing, with the thruster isolated and tagged out, makes sure the thrust is there when the vessel needs it.

What it gets you

Manoeuvring thrust restored ahead of a berthing or a pilotage that needs it
Tunnel and grating flow cleared, not just the visible blade faces
Seal, boss and anode condition documented while the divers are already down
Reduced reliance on tug assistance where thrust had quietly degraded

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

Full tunnel bore cleaned end to end, both openings, including the areas behind the gratings
Blade and hub polished, with seal and boss condition inspected and reported
Tunnel gratings cleared of growth and debris so flow is restored, not just the visible face
Anodes inside the tunnel checked and wastage recorded
Diving permission cleared with ENAPOR – Portos de Cabo Verde, with the thruster confirmed isolated and tagged out before the dive
Video record of tunnel and blade condition before and after

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 thruster cleaning attendance, wherever the vessel is. Anything outside it is quoted separately and flagged before mobilisation, never added afterwards.

Tunnel cleaning: Fouling removed from the full length of the tunnel bore, including the areas behind gratings where growth is heaviest.
Blade cleaning and polishing: Propeller blades and hub cleaned and polished to restore surface finish and reduce cavitation-inducing roughness.
Grating and guard clearance: Gratings and rope guards cleared of growth, netting and debris that restrict flow or risk fouling the unit.
Condition inspection: Blade edges, seals and visible gearcase condition inspected and recorded, with any damage reported immediately.

Full Thruster Cleaning & Polishing service details

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 thruster cleaning 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 — Thruster Cleaning at Sal Rei

Do you provide thruster cleaning 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.

Why does thruster condition matter so much at Sal Rei?

Because the harbour is tight. Vessels turn and berth at a short wharf behind the breakwater, usually with the trade wind across them, and they rely on the bow thruster to do it. We clean the tunnel, blades and gratings at anchor before berthing.

Can thruster cleaning 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 thruster cleaning 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 thruster cleaning 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.

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