Furna Port

UWILD at Furna 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 Furna Port, Brava, 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. Survey work at an open anchorage lives and dies on the weather window, so class attendance is booked with a realistic standby allowance rather than a single optimistic date.

For the ferries that are Brava's only link to the rest of Cape Verde, a docking trip out of the archipelago is costly for the island as well as the owner. UWILD can keep an eligible ferry in service. The inspection itself is usually best done at a larger port on her route where the surveyor can attend and the water is steadier, with Furna and Fajã d'Água as options when the timing requires it.

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 Furna

Furna is a small natural bay on the north-east coast of Brava, the smallest inhabited island in Cape Verde, and it is exposed to the Atlantic in a way the bigger harbours are not — in 1982 the tropical storm Beryl sent waves of up to ten metres into the bay and destroyed boats and houses. The port was improved in 2000, but it remains a tight berth for the ferries, and swell decides when a diver can work. Fajã d'Água, the island's harbour until 1843, is a sheltered bay a few kilometres away on the north-west coast that is still used as an anchorage.

Where we work: Ferry berth in Furna bay · Anchorage off Furna · Fajã d'Água bay on the north-west coast
Vessels we see here: Inter-island ferries · Small cargo coasters · Fishing boats

What we do at Furna

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 Furna
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 ENAPOR – Portos de Cabo Verde, with the vessel secured and machinery immobilised
Complete report package submitted for the class file and the drydocking credit

Planning the window at Furna

The trade-wind and swell season governs the calendar at Furna 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. Work here is done with the vessel riding to her anchor, so the dive plan is built around sea state and swell rather than a berth slot, and the team stands by for a workable window rather than a scheduled one.

Work is taken at the ferry berth in Furna bay, anchorage off Furna and Fajã d'Água bay on the north-west coast, and which of those a vessel ends up at changes the dive plan more than the season does. Teams mobilise via São Filipe (SFL) on Fogo, then ferry or Praia (RAI), then ferry, 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 Furna

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 ferries that serve Brava are working vessels on a timetable, not ships waiting at anchor, so hull growth builds steadily between dockings rather than in one long idle spell. What we find most often is heavier growth in the sheltered niches — thruster tunnels, sea chest gratings and around the stern gear — where the flow over the hull never reaches.

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 Furna

1
Scope and vessel details
Tell us the vessel, her particulars, the coating specification and the window at Furna. 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 Furna
Divers, compressors, brush carts and cameras mobilise via São Filipe (SFL) on Fogo, then ferry or Praia (RAI), then ferry. Where a vessel is also calling at Vale dos Cavaleiros, 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.

Furna Port at a glance

Port type: State Port
Island: Brava
Country: Cape Verde
Water body: Atlantic Ocean
Port authority: ENAPOR – Portos de Cabo Verde
Main cargoes: General cargo, Food and supplies
Crew mobilisation: São Filipe (SFL) on Fogo, then ferry / Praia (RAI), then ferry
Services here: Hull Cleaning

Frequently asked — UWILD Inspection at Furna

Do you provide UWILD at Furna Port?

Yes. Cleanship Marine works Furna Port in Brava, Cape Verde, covering the ferry berth in Furna bay, anchorage off Furna and Fajã d'Água bay on the north-west coast. Teams mobilise via São Filipe (SFL) on Fogo, then ferry or Praia (RAI), then ferry with the full spread.

Can UWILD be arranged for a ferry serving Brava?

Yes, if she is eligible — we check that with the class society first. The inspection is usually done at a larger port on her route, such as Praia, where conditions are steadier, but it can be done off Furna or at Fajã d'Água in a calm window if the timetable needs it.

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

Not while a ferry is working the berth — the bay is small and the berth is needed for arrivals. Hull work is done at anchor off Furna or in the calmer bay at Fajã d'Água during a lay-over, so the ferry keeps her timetable. The vessel stays on hire throughout, and there is no diversion and no dry dock. We scope against the conditions at Furna 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 Furna?

Visibility at Furna Port is good in calm conditions, since it is clear Atlantic water, but swell working into the small bay stirs the bottom and reduces it, 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 UWILD on at Furna?

Inter-island ferries, Small cargo coasters and Fishing boats — the traffic at Furna Port runs to general cargo, food and supplies, 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 Furna?

Divers and equipment mobilise via São Filipe (SFL) on Fogo, then ferry or Praia (RAI), then ferry. 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 Vale dos Cavaleiros or Praia, one mobilisation is often sized to cover both.

What does UWILD at Furna cost?

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

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