Sassandra Port · CIZSS

UWILD at Sassandra 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 Sassandra Port, Gbôklé, 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.

UWILD at Sassandra would only apply to a larger vessel that is both eligible and calling here, which is uncommon — most of the fleet is small fishing craft outside that regime. For an eligible vessel working this stretch of coast, the inspection is normally planned at San Pédro, where the water is clearer and the surveyor can attend more easily. We will always say which port gives the better result.

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 Sassandra

Sassandra is an open roadstead at the mouth of the Sassandra River, with no breakwater harbour of the size found at San Pédro, so the Atlantic swell reaches the anchorage directly. The river brings fresh water and sediment into the bay, especially in the rainy season, which clouds the water close to the town. In-water work is planned for calm spells and done away from the river plume where possible.

Where we work: Fishing port quay · Roadstead off Sassandra
Vessels we see here: Fishing vessels · Coastal craft · Artisanal fishing boats

What we do at Sassandra

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 Sassandra
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 the local maritime authority, with the vessel secured and machinery immobilised
Complete report package submitted for the class file and the drydocking credit

Planning the window at Sassandra

The combination of Atlantic swell and rain governs the calendar at Sassandra 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. 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 fishing port quay and roadstead off Sassandra, and which of those a vessel ends up at changes the dive plan more than the season does. Teams mobilise via San Pédro (SPY) or Abidjan (ABJ), 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 Sassandra

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 boats working out of Sassandra are fishing vessels and small coastal craft that spend long hours slow or stationary in warm water, so growth is heavy and mixed and builds quickly in the niches. Nets and lines around the propeller and rudder are as common a find as the growth itself.

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 Sassandra

1
Scope and vessel details
Tell us the vessel, her particulars, the coating specification and the window at Sassandra. 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
the local maritime 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 Sassandra
Divers, compressors, brush carts and cameras mobilise via San Pédro (SPY) or Abidjan (ABJ). Where a vessel is also calling at San Pédro, 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.

Sassandra Port at a glance

UN/LOCODE: CIZSS
Port type: State Port
State: Gbôklé
Country: Côte d'Ivoire
Water body: Gulf of Guinea, at the mouth of the Sassandra River
Port authority: the local maritime authority
Main cargoes: Fishing catch
Crew mobilisation: San Pédro (SPY) / Abidjan (ABJ)
Services here: Hull Cleaning

Frequently asked — UWILD Inspection at Sassandra

Do you provide UWILD at Sassandra Port?

Yes. Cleanship Marine works Sassandra Port (CIZSS) in Gbôklé, Côte d'Ivoire, covering the fishing port quay and roadstead off Sassandra. Teams mobilise via San Pédro (SPY) or Abidjan (ABJ) with the full spread.

Can UWILD be done at Sassandra?

It is possible for an eligible vessel, but it is uncommon here. For most vessels working this coast, San Pédro — nearby, with clearer water and easier surveyor access — is the better place, and we will advise honestly.

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

For fishing vessels, between trips — usually alongside the fishing port quay in calm weather, or at the roadstead when the swell allows. The vessel stays on hire throughout, and there is no diversion and no dry dock. We scope against the conditions at Sassandra and tell you honestly whether the window you have is enough.

Do you need a diving permit from the local maritime authority?

Yes, and we obtain it. Diving permission from the local maritime 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 Sassandra?

Visibility at Sassandra Port is variable — reasonable in calm, dry weather away from the shore, but the Sassandra River carries sediment into the bay, especially in the rainy season, and that clouds the water near the town, 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 Sassandra?

Fishing vessels, Coastal craft and Artisanal fishing boats — the traffic at Sassandra Port 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 Sassandra?

Divers and equipment mobilise via San Pédro (SPY) or Abidjan (ABJ). 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 San Pédro or Abidjan, one mobilisation is often sized to cover both.

What does UWILD at Sassandra cost?

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

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