Underwater Hull Cleaning at Sekondi Fishing Harbour
Full hull cleaned in the water, vessel stays on hire
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Tell us the vessel, the port and the window. Scoped reply, usually the same working day.
Cleanship Marine provides underwater hull cleaning at Sekondi Fishing Harbour, Western Region, working the fishing harbour basin and fishing boat berths. Commercial dive teams remove slime, weed and shell growth from the vertical sides, flat bottom, bilge keels, sea chests and niche areas with the vessel afloat and on hire — no dry dock, no diversion, no off-hire.
The Albert Bosomtwi-Sam Fishing Harbour at Sekondi is one of Ghana's two main fishing harbours, alongside Tema. It was started in 1988 with Japanese grant aid and expanded with a further Japanese grant from 2016, adding berthing capacity and an ice plant, and it serves a large fleet of canoes and semi-industrial fishing vessels. Next door is the Sekondi Naval Base, home port of the Ghana Navy's largest ship.
Sekondi is the fishing harbour of Sekondi-Takoradi, and the fishing fleet is kept apart from the commercial port and offshore base at Takoradi next door. The boats here are semi-industrial and inshore fishing vessels, and a hull clean for them is about fuel on every trip to the grounds. The work is done alongside between trips in the sheltered basin, keeping clear of the naval base boundary.
What it gets you
- Hydrodynamic smoothness restored before fouling reaches the calcareous stage that damages coating
- Fuel and emissions penalty from drag reduced without taking the vessel off hire
- Documented condition record for the technical file and the next docking specification
- Sea chests and inlets cleared, protecting cooling water flow
Working conditions at Sekondi
Sekondi's fishing harbour lies a short distance east of Takoradi port, in the twin city of Sekondi-Takoradi, and it is sheltered behind its own breakwater. It shares a wall with the Sekondi Naval Base, so work near the base boundary follows the navy's security rules. The water is warm and moderately clear away from the landing areas.
- Where we work
- Fishing harbour basin · Fishing boat berths
- Vessels we see here
- Semi-industrial fishing vessels · Inshore fishing boats · Fishing canoes
What we do at Sekondi
- Pre-clean fouling survey to establish coverage, growth type and coating condition before any tool touches the hull
- Brush cart cleaning of the flat bottom and vertical sides, with brush hardness selected against your antifouling specification
- Hand cleaning of bilge keels, rudder, stern frame, thruster tunnels, anodes and the niches a cart cannot follow
- Sea chest gratings and inlet openings cleared of growth and debris to restore cooling water flow
- Diving permission cleared with Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority and the terminal before mobilisation
- Before-and-after video and stills, with a written report on coating condition and anode wastage
Planning the window at Sekondi
The combination of Atlantic swell and rain governs the calendar at Sekondi Fishing Harbour, 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 fishing harbour basin and fishing boat berths, and which of those a vessel ends up at changes the dive plan more than the season does. Teams mobilise via Takoradi (TKD) or Accra (ACC), 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 Sekondi
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 fishing vessels at Sekondi lie alongside between trips in warm, sheltered water, and growth builds quickly on hulls, in sea chests and around the stern gear. Rope and netting around the propeller are a common find.
Standard scope of work
Included as standard on every underwater hull cleaning attendance, wherever the vessel is. Anything outside it is quoted separately and flagged before mobilisation, never added afterwards.
- Fouling survey
- A pre-clean dive establishes fouling type, coverage and severity, and confirms coating condition so the correct tooling is selected.
- Flat bottom and vertical sides
- Brush cart cleaning of large areas, removing slime, weed and shell growth to restore surface smoothness.
- Niche areas
- Hand cleaning of bilge keels, bow thruster tunnels, rudder, stern frame, anodes and other niche areas where fouling concentrates.
- Sea chests and gratings
- Sea chest gratings and inlet openings cleared of growth and debris to restore cooling water flow.
- Documentation
- Underwater video and stills before and after, with a written report covering coating condition and anode wastage.
How we deliver it at Sekondi
- 1
Scope and vessel details
Tell us the vessel, her particulars, the coating specification and the window at Sekondi. 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
Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority 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 Sekondi
Divers, compressors, brush carts and cameras mobilise via Takoradi (TKD) or Accra (ACC). Where a vessel is also calling at Takoradi, 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 underwater hull 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.
Sekondi Fishing Harbour at a glance
- UN/LOCODE
- GHSEK
- Port type
- State Port
- State
- Western Region
- Country
- Ghana
- Water body
- Gulf of Guinea
- Port authority
- Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority
- Main cargoes
- Fishing catch
- Crew mobilisation
- Takoradi (TKD) / Accra (ACC)
- Services here
- Hull Cleaning
Frequently asked — Underwater Hull Cleaning at Sekondi
Do you provide underwater hull cleaning at Sekondi Fishing Harbour?
Yes. Cleanship Marine works Sekondi Fishing Harbour (GHSEK) in Western Region, Ghana, covering the fishing harbour basin and fishing boat berths. Teams mobilise via Takoradi (TKD) or Accra (ACC) with the full spread.
What is the difference between hull cleaning at Sekondi and at Takoradi?
The vessels. Sekondi is the fishing harbour, where we clean fishing vessels alongside between trips. Takoradi, next door, is the commercial port and offshore support base, with bulk carriers and offshore support vessels. Each has its own page.
Can underwater hull cleaning be done while the vessel works cargo at Sekondi?
Between fishing trips, alongside in the harbour, planned around landings and berth space. The vessel stays on hire throughout, and there is no diversion and no dry dock. We scope against the conditions at Sekondi and tell you honestly whether the window you have is enough.
Do you need a diving permit from Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority?
Yes, and we obtain it. Diving permission from Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority, 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 Sekondi?
Visibility at Sekondi Fishing Harbour is moderate — better than the lagoon ports, reduced near the landing areas and after heavy rain, 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 underwater hull cleaning on at Sekondi?
Semi-industrial fishing vessels, Inshore fishing boats and Fishing canoes — the traffic at Sekondi Fishing Harbour runs to fishing catch, 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 Sekondi?
Divers and equipment mobilise via Takoradi (TKD) or Accra (ACC). 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 Takoradi or Elmina, one mobilisation is often sized to cover both.
What does underwater hull cleaning at Sekondi cost?
It depends on the vessel's dimensions and wetted area, the fouling state found, the coating specification and the working window available at Sekondi. 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 Sekondi and you get a scoped price, usually the same working day.
Underwater Hull Cleaning at Sekondi Fishing Harbour.
Tell us the vessel, her ETA at Sekondi and the window. You get a scope, a crew size and an honest duration — usually the same working day.