Palmeira Port · CVPAL

UWILD at Palmeira 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 Palmeira Port, Sal, 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. This is one of the better ports on the coverage list for in-water survey work: clarity supports the wide shots and the close detail a surveyor needs, and the record that comes out of it stands up in the class file.

The vessels that keep Sal supplied — tankers and coasters on a regular run — are exactly the ships an owner least wants to take off their route for a dry dock, and there is no docking facility on the island. Where one is eligible, UWILD at Palmeira takes advantage of the clear water to produce a strong inspection record without leaving the trade. Eligibility comes first: small tankers and older vessels have their own rules, and we check them with class before any cost is committed.

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 Palmeira

Palmeira is on the west side of Sal, in the lee of an island that is flat, dry and swept by the north-east trade wind for most of the year. The island takes the wind; the bay behind it is calm. With almost no rainfall and no rivers, nothing clouds the water, and visibility here is among the best on the whole coverage list. The main constraint is the size of the port — a small pier that the fuel tankers, coasters and ferries share — so in-water work is planned around the berth schedule or taken at anchor in the bay.

Where we work: Commercial pier · Fuel discharge berth · Anchorage in Palmeira bay
Vessels we see here: Product tankers delivering fuel · Container and RoRo coasters · Inter-island ferries · Fishing vessels

What we do at Palmeira

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 Palmeira
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 Palmeira

The trade-wind and swell season governs the calendar at Palmeira 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. Water clarity here is good by regional standards, so the operation can be properly documented on video as it happens — an advantage that turns a cleaning job into usable condition evidence at no extra mobilisation cost.

Work is taken at the commercial pier, fuel discharge berth and anchorage in Palmeira bay, and which of those a vessel ends up at changes the dive plan more than the season does. Teams mobilise via Sal (SID), 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 Palmeira

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.

Clearer water means the fouling state can be assessed properly before any tooling is selected, and the assessment can be shown to you rather than described.

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 Palmeira

1
Scope and vessel details
Tell us the vessel, her particulars, the coating specification and the window at Palmeira. 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 Palmeira
Divers, compressors, brush carts and cameras mobilise via Sal (SID). Where a vessel is also calling at Sal Rei, 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.

Palmeira Port at a glance

UN/LOCODE: CVPAL
Port type: State Port
Island: Sal
Country: Cape Verde
Water body: Baía da Palmeira, Atlantic Ocean
Port authority: ENAPOR – Portos de Cabo Verde
Main cargoes: Fuel imports, Containers, General cargo, Fishing catch
Crew mobilisation: Sal (SID)
Services here: Hull Cleaning

Frequently asked — UWILD Inspection at Palmeira

Do you provide UWILD at Palmeira Port?

Yes. Cleanship Marine works Palmeira Port (CVPAL) in Sal, Cape Verde, covering the commercial pier, fuel discharge berth and anchorage in Palmeira bay. Teams mobilise via Sal (SID) with the full spread.

Is Palmeira a good place for a UWILD inspection?

Conditions are excellent — calm, clear water on the lee side of Sal. The first step is eligibility: we check the vessel's age, type and class notation with the class society before anything is booked. If she qualifies, the clear water helps produce a strong inspection record.

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

Yes. Conditions here are good enough that the dive runs alongside cargo operations without either holding the other up, and the work is documented on video as it goes. The vessel stays on hire throughout, and there is no diversion and no dry dock. We scope against the conditions at Palmeira 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 Palmeira?

Visibility at Palmeira Port is excellent: Sal has no rivers and almost no rain, so nothing clouds the water in the bay, 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 Palmeira?

Product tankers delivering fuel, Container and RoRo coasters, Inter-island ferries, Fishing vessels — the traffic at Palmeira Port runs to fuel imports, 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 Palmeira?

Divers and equipment mobilise via Sal (SID). 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 Sal Rei or Mindelo, one mobilisation is often sized to cover both.

What does UWILD at Palmeira cost?

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

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