HAFNIA SOYA (IMO: 9729271) Table Bay, Cape Town

HAFNIA SOYA Oil/Chemical Tanker | IMO 9729271 | Maritime Studies

HAFNIA SOYA is a 39,067 DWT oil/chemical tanker built in 2015. Explore her specifications, Hafnia fleet role and Cape Town maritime connection.

Photographer's Note: HAFNIA SOYA (IMO: 9729271) 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 Handy-Class Product and Chemical Tanker in the Hafnia Fleet

HAFNIA SOYA (IMO: 9729271)

The HAFNIA SOYA is a Singapore-registered oil/chemical products tanker and a useful example of the medium-sized tanker class that forms an important part of the international maritime transportation system. With an overall length of approximately 184 metres and a deadweight of 39,067 tonnes, she belongs to the Handy tanker segment of the commercial tanker fleet.

Built in 2015 by Hyundai Mipo Dockyard in Ulsan, South Korea, HAFNIA SOYA was designed for the transportation of liquid bulk cargoes rather than crude oil in the very large quantities associated with VLCCs and other large crude carriers. Her size gives her considerable flexibility, allowing her to serve a wide range of ports and trade routes. Hafnia currently lists HAFNIA SOYA as a HANDY vessel with a deadweight of 39,067 tonnes and a cargo capacity of approximately 42,500 m³. The company also identifies her as an Ice Class 1B vessel and an IMO Type 2/3 tanker. (Hafnia)

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Vessel Specifications

Vessel: HAFNIA SOYA
IMO: 9729271
MMSI: 566583000
Call sign: 9V3282
Vessel type: Oil/Chemical Products Tanker
Commercial segment: Handy
Year built: 2015
Builder: Hyundai Mipo Dockyard Co., Ulsan, South Korea
Flag: Singapore
Port of registry: Singapore
Length overall: 184.26 m
Beam: 27.40 m
Gross tonnage: 24,120 GT
Deadweight: 39,067 tonnes
Cargo capacity: approximately 42,500 m³
Summer draught: approximately 11.9 m
Ice class: 1B
IMO cargo type: 2/3
Classification society: Lloyd's Register

The principal dimensions and tonnages are consistently reported across maritime databases, although individual databases may differ slightly in measurements such as draught and length. Hafnia's own fleet database gives the current commercial classification and approximately 42,500 m³ capacity, while Shipspotting records the vessel at 184.2 m, 27.4 m beam and 39,067 tonnes deadweight. (Hafnia)

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What Is an Oil/Chemical Products Tanker?

The HAFNIA SOYA occupies an interesting position between conventional oil-product transportation and chemical tanker operations.

Product tankers transport refined petroleum products such as gasoline, diesel, gasoil, kerosene and other petroleum derivatives. Chemical/product tankers can also carry a broader range of liquid bulk commodities, depending on their tank configuration, cargo compatibility and applicable IMO classification.

This versatility is one of the defining characteristics of the modern product-tanker sector. Hafnia describes its broader tanker operations as transporting products including gasoline, diesel, gas oil, naphtha, kerosene, vegetable oils, fuel oil, crude oil and various chemicals. (Annual Report 2020)

For a vessel of HAFNIA SOYA's size, flexibility is commercially important. A Handy tanker does not require the enormous infrastructure associated with the world's largest crude carriers and can therefore participate in a much wider range of regional and international trades.

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The Handy Tanker Concept

The term Handy refers to a relatively compact tanker segment rather than a particular cargo. HAFNIA SOYA's approximately 39,000-tonne deadweight places her toward the upper end of this class.

Her dimensions illustrate the balance involved in this type of ship. At 184 metres long, she is a substantial vessel when viewed from shore, yet she remains considerably smaller than an LR1, LR2 or VLCC tanker.

That combination of capacity and port accessibility is commercially valuable. A Handy tanker can operate between major petroleum terminals while retaining the ability to access ports that would be unsuitable for much larger tankers.

Hafnia's current fleet identifies HAFNIA SOYA alongside another 2015-built Handy tanker, HAFNIA BERING, with both vessels listed at 39,067 tonnes deadweight and approximately 42,500 m³ capacity. (Hafnia)

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Part of the Hafnia Fleet

HAFNIA SOYA has been associated with Hafnia's Handy tanker fleet for many years. Hafnia's historical fleet documentation records her as a November 2015-built Hyundai Mipo vessel with 39,067 tonnes deadweight, Singapore flag and Lloyd's Register classification. (Hafnia)

The company's more recent fleet information continues to list HAFNIA SOYA as a HANDY vessel. This continuity is significant because it demonstrates how a tanker built more than a decade ago can remain an active component of a major commercial fleet.

The vessel is also representative of a generation of Hyundai Mipo-built Handy tankers that became an important part of the international product-tanker market. Hafnia's fleet records contain several vessels of comparable size constructed at the same shipyard during the same period. (Annual Report 2023)

A Vessel with a South African Connection

HAFNIA SOYA is particularly interesting from a Cape Town maritime-observation perspective because AIS records show her visiting South African ports.

Recent AIS data has recorded movements involving Durban, Gqeberha and Cape Town, illustrating the type of regional trading pattern in which a Handy tanker can operate. MaritimeOptima, for example, records a sequence of Durban, Gqeberha and Cape Town calls in July 2026. (Maritime Optima)

AIS information also records HAFNIA SOYA at Cape Town's oil and chemical terminal area, demonstrating the practical relationship between the vessel's design and South Africa's petroleum-handling infrastructure. (Vesseltracker)

For local shipspotting, this is an important distinction. A vessel such as HAFNIA SOYA is not merely passing through Cape waters as an ocean-going ship. Her presence can represent a working link between South African petroleum infrastructure and the wider international liquid-bulk shipping network.

Cargo Flexibility

One of the most significant characteristics of modern product and chemical tankers is cargo flexibility.

Unlike a tanker dedicated to a single crude-oil cargo, a product/chemical tanker can potentially transport different grades of cargoes during different voyages, subject to the vessel's tank specifications, cargo compatibility, regulatory requirements and commercial instructions.

Hafnia's documentation illustrates the breadth of cargoes handled within its tanker operations, including petroleum products, vegetable oils and a variety of chemicals. (Hafnia)

The ability to move different liquid commodities efficiently is central to the economic function of this segment of the merchant fleet.

Dimensions in Perspective

At 184.26 metres, HAFNIA SOYA is more than twice the length of a typical large passenger aircraft carrier and approximately the length of a pair of football fields placed end-to-end.

Her 27.4-metre beam gives the vessel a substantial physical presence while retaining proportions appropriate to a Handy tanker.

The approximately 39,067-tonne deadweight figure is particularly important. Deadweight is not simply the weight of cargo. It represents the vessel's total carrying capacity for cargo, fuel, freshwater, stores, provisions and other variable weights to the relevant load line.

Her 24,120 GT is a measurement of the ship's enclosed internal volume and should therefore not be confused with deadweight or cargo capacity.

These distinctions are important when interpreting ship specifications and are worth retaining in any photographic or observational record of the vessel.

Safety and Classification

HAFNIA SOYA is classified by Lloyd's Register, according to vessel records and historical port-state-control documentation. (Shipspotting)

Her classification and IMO tanker designation reflect the regulatory framework surrounding ships carrying potentially hazardous liquid cargoes.

The IMO Type 2/3 designation appearing in Hafnia's current fleet database is particularly relevant to understanding the vessel's cargo role. Chemical tankers are subject to stringent requirements concerning cargo containment, segregation, materials, operational procedures and pollution prevention.

The tanker is therefore a highly specialised piece of industrial infrastructure rather than simply a large ship with tanks.

An Earlier Port-State-Control Record

An interesting historical detail is recorded in the Paris Memorandum of Understanding's port-state-control documentation. HAFNIA SOYA was detained at Antwerp in September 2020 for three days, with three deficiencies recorded. The document states that the deficiencies were rectified and that corrective action concerning the company's ISM system was required. (Paris MoU)

This historical event should be viewed in its proper context. Port-state-control detention is part of the international maritime safety and regulatory system, and a historical detention does not by itself describe a vessel's present operational condition. It is nevertheless part of the documented history of HAFNIA SOYA and therefore relevant to a comprehensive vessel record.

HAFNIA SOYA as a Maritime Observation Subject

From a photographic perspective, HAFNIA SOYA is an especially useful subject because her proportions make the characteristics of a modern tanker readily visible.

The long, relatively low hull, extensive working deck, cargo-handling equipment and raised accommodation block provide a clear visual representation of the tanker concept.

At a distance, her hull form distinguishes her from container ships, bulk carriers and general cargo vessels. Closer observation reveals the specialised deck infrastructure associated with liquid-bulk cargo operations.

For the Vernon Chalmers Photography Maritime Studies project, vessels such as HAFNIA SOYA also demonstrate the value of combining photography with documentary research.

A photograph records what the observer sees.

The IMO number, vessel specifications, construction history, classification, ownership and trading context provide the second layer: what the observer is looking at and why the vessel matters.

That combination transforms shipspotting from simple identification into maritime observation.

Conclusion

HAFNIA SOYA is a representative example of the modern Handy tanker: large enough to carry substantial quantities of liquid bulk cargo, yet sufficiently compact to operate across a broad range of ports and regional trades.

Built by Hyundai Mipo Dockyard in 2015, registered in Singapore and operating within Hafnia's tanker fleet, she combines approximately 39,067 tonnes of deadweight with a 184-metre hull and approximately 42,500 m³ of cargo capacity. (Hafnia)

Her documented visits to South African ports make her particularly relevant to Cape Town-based maritime observation. Seen from the shoreline, HAFNIA SOYA is one tanker among many. Examined through maritime research, however, she becomes a tangible example of the international logistics system that connects ports, petroleum infrastructure, chemical industries and global commerce.

For a shipspotter and photographer, that is precisely where the photograph becomes more than an image: it becomes a maritime record.

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

Hafnia Limited. (2020). Hafnia Limited prospectus. Hafnia Limited

Hafnia Limited. (2021). Annual report 2020. Hafnia annual report

Hafnia Limited. (2023). Annual report 2023. Hafnia annual report 2023

Hafnia Limited. (2026). Fleet. Hafnia fleet

MaritimeOptima. (2026). HAFNIA SOYA — IMO 9729271. MaritimeOptima vessel information

Paris Memorandum of Understanding on Port State Control. (2020). Monthly list of detentions: HAFNIA SOYA, IMO 9729271. Paris MoU

Shipspotting. (2026). HAFNIA SOYA — IMO 9729271. Shipspotting vessel record and photographs

VesselFinder. (2026). HAFNIA SOYA — IMO 9729271. VesselFinder vessel information