Bissau Port · GWOXB

UWILD at Bissau 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 Bissau Port, Bissau, 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. Low visibility and short slack windows make this a demanding survey port. Scope, lighting and the surveyor's acceptance criteria are agreed up front, and where the conditions will not support the scope we say so before the attendance is booked.

For ships trading regularly to Guinea-Bissau, UWILD can avoid a deviation to a dry dock, but Bissau's silty estuary is rarely clear enough for a class inspection. We confirm eligibility with the class society and plan the inspection at a clearer-water port on the route, such as Dakar.

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 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

What we do at Bissau

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 Bissau
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 Administração dos Portos da Guiné-Bissau (APGB), with the vessel secured and machinery immobilised
Complete report package submitted for the class file and the drydocking credit

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.

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 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 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.

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 — UWILD Inspection at Bissau

Do you provide UWILD at Bissau Port?

Yes. Cleanship Marine works Bissau Port (GWOXB) in Bissau, Guinea-Bissau, covering the main T-shaped pier, southwest pier and Bissau anchorage. Teams mobilise via Bissau (OXB) with the full spread.

Where should UWILD be done for a ship trading to Bissau?

Usually at a clearer-water port on the route, such as Dakar, rather than in the silty Geba estuary. We confirm eligibility with class first.

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

Around slack water, alongside or at the anchorage — the long average port stay at Bissau usually leaves plenty of slack-water windows to plan a full clean. The vessel stays on hire throughout, and there is no diversion and no dry dock. We scope against the conditions at Bissau and tell you honestly whether the window you have is enough.

Do you need a diving permit from Administração dos Portos da Guiné-Bissau (APGB)?

Yes, and we obtain it. Diving permission from Administração dos Portos da Guiné-Bissau (APGB), 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 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.

Which vessels do you carry out UWILD on at Bissau?

Feeder container ships, General cargo ships, Product tankers and Fishing vessels — the traffic at Bissau Port runs to containers (cashew exports), rice and general imports, fuel, 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 Bissau?

Divers and equipment mobilise via Bissau (OXB). 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 Banjul or Conakry, one mobilisation is often sized to cover both.

What does UWILD at Bissau cost?

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

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