COLD STREAM (IMO 9051791) Table Bay, Cape Town
COLD STREAM IMO 9051791 | Refrigerated Cargo Ship
Explore COLD STREAM (IMO 9051791), a 1994-built refrigerated cargo ship, her specifications, reefer technology and role in global trade.
COLD STREAM (IMO 9051791) is a specialised refrigerated cargo ship built in Japan in 1994, combining substantial refrigerated capacity with ocean-going speed.
Photographer's Note: COLD STREAM (IMO 9051791) was photographed by Vernon Chalmers in Table Bay, Cape Town. The image forms part of the Vernon Chalmers Photography Maritime Studies Project and is also published in the Shipspotting.com database.
A Refrigerated Cargo Ship with a Global Trading RoleCOLD STREAM (IMO 9051791)
COLD STREAM (IMO 9051791) is a specialised refrigerated cargo vessel, or reefer, built in 1994 by Kitanihon Zosen K.K. at Hachinohe, Japan. Delivered on 18 March 1994 as yard number 271, she represents a generation of purpose-built refrigerated ships designed to transport temperature-sensitive cargoes over long international routes.At approximately 140 metres in length and 22 metres in beam, COLD STREAM has a gross tonnage of 8,414 and a summer deadweight of 10,086 tonnes. Her four holds and four hatches are divided into 15 refrigerated compartments, providing approximately 456,785 cubic feet of cargo capacity, equivalent to about 5,950 pallets.
The vessel's refrigeration system illustrates the highly specialised nature of reefer shipping. COLD STREAM has nine temperature zones and can maintain cargo temperatures from approximately −25°C to +12°C, allowing her to carry a variety of frozen, chilled and temperature-sensitive commodities. The vessel is also equipped with controlled-atmosphere infrastructure, extending her suitability to perishable agricultural products for which management of temperature and atmospheric conditions is important.
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Her propulsion is equally characteristic of the substantial ocean-going reefer. COLD STREAM is a single-screw motor vessel powered by an eight-cylinder Akasaka diesel engine producing approximately 14,965 bhp. Historical technical data gives a maximum speed of about 20–21 knots, providing the relatively high transit speeds traditionally associated with refrigerated cargo shipping.
COLD STREAM has operated internationally under different flag and registry arrangements and is currently recorded under the Liberian flag. Her trading history illustrates the geographic flexibility of specialised reefer shipping: AIS records have documented voyages and port calls involving Europe, southern Africa, the Americas and the Pacific.
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For the maritime observer, COLD STREAM is therefore more than an ageing cargo ship. Her distinctive refrigerated-cargo configuration provides a visible reminder of a specialised sector of merchant shipping that connects agricultural and food-producing regions with distant consumer markets. The combination of substantial refrigerated capacity, multiple temperature zones and relatively high service speed reflects the operational priorities of a vessel whose cargo cannot simply be treated as conventional dry freight.
At more than three decades old, COLD STREAM also represents the longevity possible within specialised merchant shipping when a vessel continues to find useful employment. Her continued appearance in international AIS traffic makes her an interesting subject for maritime observation—and an example of how shipspotting can reveal the technological and commercial systems operating behind an apparently simple vessel encounter.
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Vessel Specifications
- Vessel: COLD STREAM
- IMO: 9051791
- Type: Refrigerated Cargo Ship (Reefer)
- Built: 1994
- Builder: Kitanihon Zosen K.K., Hachinohe, Japan
- Length overall: 140 m
- Beam: 22 m
- Depth: 13.40 m
- Gross tonnage: 8,414
- Net tonnage: 4,542
- Deadweight: 10,086 t
- Refrigerated cargo capacity: 456,785 cu ft
- Refrigerated compartments: 15
- Temperature range: −25°C to +12°C
- Main engine: Akasaka diesel, 8-cylinder
- Power: approximately 14,965 bhp
- Propulsion: Single screw
- Flag: Liberia
- Call sign: D5YZ4
Photographic Equipment
Camera: Canon EOS R6 Mark III
Lens: Canon RF 800mm f/11 IS STM Lens
Photographic Genre: Maritime Photography / Ship Spotting
Location: Table Bay, Cape Town, South Africa
References
Maritime Historical Data Foundation. (n.d.). COLD STREAM — IMO 9051791.
Seatrade. (2025). COLD STREAM: Vessel particulars and refrigerated cargo specifications.
VesselFinder. (n.d.). COLD STREAM (IMO 9051791): Refrigerated cargo ship.
Thornton, N. (2026, February 17). MV Cold Stream – Past and Present. Dover Ferry Photos Forums.
