Tarrafal Port · CVTAR

UWILD at Tarrafal 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 Tarrafal Port, São Nicolau, 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 ships that call regularly at Tarrafal — ferries, coasters and fishing vessels — include many that are either too small for UWILD rules to apply in the usual way or too old to be eligible, so the honest first step here is an eligibility check. Where a ferry or coaster does qualify, the clear water off Tarrafal supports a proper inspection record, and it saves the vessel a trip out of the archipelago to find a dock.

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 Tarrafal

Tarrafal is on the south-west coast of São Nicolau, in the lee of the island's mountains, and the sea bed drops away quickly offshore, so there is deep, clear ocean water close to the port. The trade wind is broken by the island but can come down off the high ground in gusts. The port is small and its quay is shared by ferries, coasters and the fishing fleet, so in-water work is fitted around them or done at anchor off the town.

Where we work: Port quay · Fishing boat moorings · Anchorage off Tarrafal
Vessels we see here: Tuna fishing vessels · Inter-island ferries · General cargo coasters

What we do at Tarrafal

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 Tarrafal
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 Tarrafal

The trade-wind and swell season governs the calendar at Tarrafal 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 port quay, fishing boat moorings and anchorage off Tarrafal, and which of those a vessel ends up at changes the dive plan more than the season does. Teams mobilise via São Nicolau (SNE) or São Vicente (VXE), 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 Tarrafal

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.

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 Tarrafal

1
Scope and vessel details
Tell us the vessel, her particulars, the coating specification and the window at Tarrafal. 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 Tarrafal
Divers, compressors, brush carts and cameras mobilise via São Nicolau (SNE) or São Vicente (VXE). Where a vessel is also calling at Mindelo, 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.

Tarrafal Port at a glance

UN/LOCODE: CVTAR
Port type: State Port
Island: São Nicolau
Country: Cape Verde
Water body: Atlantic Ocean
Port authority: ENAPOR – Portos de Cabo Verde
Main cargoes: Fishing catch and canned tuna, General cargo, Food and supplies
Crew mobilisation: São Nicolau (SNE) / São Vicente (VXE)
Services here: Hull Cleaning

Frequently asked — UWILD Inspection at Tarrafal

Do you provide UWILD at Tarrafal Port?

Yes. Cleanship Marine works Tarrafal Port (CVTAR) in São Nicolau, Cape Verde, covering the port quay, fishing boat moorings and anchorage off Tarrafal. Teams mobilise via São Nicolau (SNE) or São Vicente (VXE) with the full spread.

Is UWILD available for ferries and coasters calling at Tarrafal?

Where the vessel is eligible, yes. Many small and older vessels are not, so we check eligibility with the class society first. If she qualifies, the inspection can be done in Tarrafal's clear water without leaving the archipelago.

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

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 Tarrafal 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 Tarrafal?

Visibility at Tarrafal Port is very good, with deep, clear ocean water close to the port and no river runoff, 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 Tarrafal?

Tuna fishing vessels, Inter-island ferries and General cargo coasters — the traffic at Tarrafal Port runs to fishing catch and canned tuna, 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 Tarrafal?

Divers and equipment mobilise via São Nicolau (SNE) or São Vicente (VXE). 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 Mindelo or Palmeira, one mobilisation is often sized to cover both.

What does UWILD at Tarrafal cost?

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

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