Banjul Port · GMBJL

UWILD at Banjul Port

Survey credit earned without leaving the water

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

Cleanship Marine runs full UWILD programmes — Underwater Inspection In Lieu of Drydocking — at Banjul Port, Banjul, from eligibility discussion through class liaison to the final report package.

UWILD lets a vessel satisfy a survey requirement that would otherwise mean a dry docking, at a fraction of the cost and with none of the off-hire. The requirements are exacting: the contractor must hold class approval, the vessel must be eligible, hull markings must let the surveyor locate features precisely, and the inspection has to be delivered live and documented. Low visibility and short slack windows make this a demanding survey port. Scope, lighting and the surveyor's acceptance criteria are agreed up front, and where the conditions will not support the scope we say so before the attendance is booked.

For vessels trading to The Gambia, the nearest major ship repair centre is Dakar, with its Dakarnave yard. That makes UWILD attractive for regular Banjul callers — feeders and general cargo ships on fixed rotations — as long as the inspection can be done properly. Because the estuary is cloudy and tidal, UWILD for a Banjul caller is often best planned at Dakar or at the outer anchorage rather than alongside, after eligibility has been confirmed with class.

What it gets you

Drydocking deferred and the survey credit earned in the water
Class liaison handled end to end rather than left with the superintendent
Eligibility confirmed before cost is committed, not discovered afterwards
A documented inspection record that stands up to class review

Working conditions at Banjul

Banjul sits at the mouth of the Gambia River, and the water at its berths is estuary water: tidal, fast-flowing on the ebb and flood, and carrying sediment down from a river that drains a large part of West Africa. A sand bar in the entrance channel limits vessels to about a 9-metre draft, and the deepest-drafted ships time their passage to the flood tide. For in-water work that means two things — dives are timed to slack water, and visibility at the berths is low enough that divers work by touch under surface supervision.

Where we work: Banjul Wharf · New Banjul Jetty and container berths · Fisheries jetty · Banjul–Barra ferry terminal
Vessels we see here: Feeder container ships · General cargo ships · Banjul–Barra ferries · Fishing vessels · Small cruise ships

What we do at Banjul

Eligibility review against the vessel's age, type, class notation and survey history before anything is booked
Programme agreed with the class society and the surveyor attending at Banjul
Hull, rudder, propeller, stern gear, sea chests and appendages inspected to the UWILD scope
Live video, thickness measurement and clearance readings where the programme calls for them
Diving permission cleared with Gambia Ports Authority, with the vessel secured and machinery immobilised
Complete report package submitted for the class file and the drydocking credit

Planning the window at Banjul

The combination of Atlantic swell and rain governs the calendar at Banjul Port, 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. The tidal stream and the silt load govern the method here: the working window is slack water, not the working day, and the operation is planned by feel and surface supervision with video kept as the record rather than as the diver's means of navigation.

Work is taken at the Banjul Wharf, New Banjul Jetty and container berths, fisheries jetty, Banjul–Barra ferry terminal, and which of those a vessel ends up at changes the dive plan more than the season does. Teams mobilise via Banjul (BJL), 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 Banjul

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.

Silt settles over the growth on the flat bottom and in the niches, which masks the true fouling state until the divers are actually on it. That is why the pre-clean survey here is a real step rather than a formality.

Standard scope of work

Included as standard on every UWILD attendance, wherever the vessel is. Anything outside it is quoted separately and flagged before mobilisation, never added afterwards.

Eligibility and planning: Vessel eligibility, survey scope and the society's specific requirements are established and agreed before mobilisation.
Hull preparation: Reference markings and cleaning of inspection areas so structure and features can be located and viewed unambiguously.
Systematic inspection: Shell plating, welds, rudder, propeller, sea chests, openings, anodes and appendages inspected to the agreed programme.
Measurement and NDT: Clearance measurement and underwater NDT carried out where the survey scope requires it.
Documentation: Video, stills, measurements and findings compiled into a report package suitable for submission to the classification society.

Full UWILD service details

How we deliver it at Banjul

1
Scope and vessel details
Tell us the vessel, her particulars, the coating specification and the window at Banjul. 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
Gambia Ports 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 Banjul
Divers, compressors, brush carts and cameras mobilise via Banjul (BJL). Where a vessel is also calling at Gambia River, 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 UWILD 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.

Banjul Port at a glance

UN/LOCODE: GMBJL
Port type: State Port
State: Banjul
Country: The Gambia
Water body: Gambia River estuary
Port authority: Gambia Ports Authority
Main cargoes: Containers, Rice, sugar and flour, Cement and general cargo, Fuel, Fishing catch
Crew mobilisation: Banjul (BJL)
Services here: Hull Cleaning

Frequently asked — UWILD Inspection at Banjul

Do you provide UWILD at Banjul Port?

Yes. Cleanship Marine works Banjul Port (GMBJL) in Banjul, The Gambia, covering the Banjul Wharf, New Banjul Jetty and container berths, fisheries jetty, Banjul–Barra ferry terminal. Teams mobilise via Banjul (BJL) with the full spread.

Where should UWILD be done for a vessel trading to Banjul?

Often at Dakar or the outer anchorage rather than alongside at Banjul, because the estuary water is cloudy and tidal. We first confirm the vessel's eligibility with the class society, then plan the inspection where the surveyor will get the clearest picture.

Can UWILD be done while the vessel works cargo at Banjul?

Usually yes, but the tide sets the schedule rather than the cargo plan. The practical question is how many slack windows fall inside the vessel's stay, not what the holds are doing. The vessel stays on hire throughout, and there is no diversion and no dry dock. We scope against the conditions at Banjul and tell you honestly whether the window you have is enough.

Do you need a diving permit from Gambia Ports Authority?

Yes, and we obtain it. Diving permission from Gambia Ports 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 Banjul?

Visibility at Banjul Port is habitually very low, and often close to nil at the turn, 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 UWILD on at Banjul?

Feeder container ships, General cargo ships, Banjul–Barra ferries, Fishing vessels and Small cruise ships — the traffic at Banjul Port runs to containers, rice, sugar and flour, cement 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 Banjul?

Divers and equipment mobilise via Banjul (BJL). 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 Gambia River or Dakar, one mobilisation is often sized to cover both.

What does UWILD at Banjul cost?

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

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