Bissau · GWOXB

Hull Cleaning at Bissau Port

In-water hull, propeller and survey work at Bissau Port — cashew exports on the Geba estuary, with one of West Africa's biggest tides.

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

Cleanship Marine provides the full underwater scope at Bissau Port (GWOXB), Bissau — hull cleaning, propeller super polishing, bow and stern thruster work, class-approved in-water survey and UWILD. Every scope is carried out with the vessel afloat and on hire, at the berth or at the anchorage.

The Port of Bissau is Guinea-Bissau's main port and handles almost all of the country's trade, chief among it raw cashew nuts — the country's main export, shipped in containers. Ships call to a T-shaped pier built in 1993 and an older southwest pier, and port stays are long: the port handles far more containers than it was designed for, and an average call runs to more than two weeks.

Working conditions at Bissau

Bissau lies on the Geba River estuary, where the tidal range reaches up to about 7 metres at spring tides — several times what most of the West African coast sees. The tide sets everything: the stream runs hard through the estuary, dives are only possible around slack water, and the water carries enough silt that divers work by touch. The pier offers around 7 metres of water, so ships often wait at anchor for the tide and the berth.

Where we work: Main T-shaped pier · Southwest pier · Bissau anchorage
Vessels we see here: Feeder container ships · General cargo ships · Product tankers · Fishing vessels

Hull Cleaning scopes at Bissau

5 scopes, one team and one mobilisation. Most vessels calling here take more than one on the same attendance.

Planning the window at Bissau

The combination of Atlantic swell and rain governs the calendar at Bissau 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. With a tidal range of up to 7 metres and strong streams in the estuary, every dive is timed to slack water and supervised from the surface, and the team works by touch in the silty water. A hull clean is split across several slack-water windows during the call.

Work is taken at the main T-shaped pier, southwest pier and Bissau anchorage, and which of those a vessel ends up at changes the dive plan more than the season does. Teams mobilise via Bissau (OXB), 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 Bissau

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.

Port stays at Bissau are long, often more than two weeks, and ships lie in warm, silty estuary water for much of that time. Hulls pick up heavy growth on the flat bottom and sea chests fill with silt and weed.

How we deliver it at Bissau

1
Scope and vessel details
Tell us the vessel, her particulars, the coating specification and the window at Bissau. 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
Administração dos Portos da Guiné-Bissau (APGB) 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 Bissau
Divers, compressors, brush carts and cameras mobilise via Bissau (OXB). Where a vessel is also calling at Banjul, 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 hull cleaning 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.

Bissau Port at a glance

UN/LOCODE: GWOXB
Port type: State Port
State: Bissau
Country: Guinea-Bissau
Water body: Geba River estuary
Port authority: Administração dos Portos da Guiné-Bissau (APGB)
Main cargoes: Containers (cashew exports), Rice and general imports, Fuel, Fishing catch
Crew mobilisation: Bissau (OXB)
Services here: Hull Cleaning

Frequently asked — Bissau Port

Does Cleanship provide hull cleaning at Bissau Port?

Yes. We cover the full hull cleaning scope at Bissau Port (GWOXB), Bissau — underwater hull cleaning, propeller polishing, thruster cleaning & polishing, in-water class survey and UWILD. Teams mobilise via Bissau (OXB).

What is underwater visibility like at Bissau?

Visibility at Bissau Port is low — the Geba estuary is tidal and silty, with strong streams except around slack water, 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.

Who approves hull cleaning work at Bissau?

Administração dos Portos da Guiné-Bissau (APGB) issues the port-side approval at Bissau Port, with terminal approval on top where the berth requires it. We arrange both, along with any environmental clearance for in-water cleaning, so it does not fall to the agent or the master.

Which vessels call at Bissau?

Feeder container ships, General cargo ships, Product tankers and Fishing vessels — Bissau Port is cashew exports on the Geba estuary, with one of West Africa's biggest tides, handling containers (cashew exports), rice and general imports, fuel, fishing catch. Wetted area, coating specification and how long the vessel has been sitting are what size a hull job, so the same berth can produce very different attendances.

Can this be done without taking the vessel off hire at Bissau?

Yes — that is the point of it. Every scope listed here is carried out with the vessel afloat and working, at the berth, at the anchorage or on the passage out. Divers work with the vessel afloat at the berth or the anchorage, so there is no dry dock, no diversion and no off-hire.

Do you cover other ports near Bissau?

Yes. Banjul, Conakry and Dakar all sit within the same operating range for hull cleaning, and a single mobilisation is often sized to cover more than one vessel on the same trip. We work 86 ports on the coverage list for this line.

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