GREEN HONDURAS (IMO 8912132) Table Bay, Cape Town
GREEN HONDURAS: A Veteran Refrigerated Cargo Ship | IMO 8912132
Explore GREEN HONDURAS (IMO 8912132), a veteran refrigerated cargo ship built in Belgium in 1992, and its role in maritime observation. |
| GREEN HONDURAS (IMO 8912132) Table Bay, Cape Town |
Green Honduras, a cargo vessel photographed at sea off Cape Town during a ship-spotting session with the Canon EOS R6 Mark III and RF 800mm f/11 IS STM lens.
Photographer's Note: GREEN HONDURAS (IMO 8912132) 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 veteran refrigerated cargo vessel still carrying the cold-chain economy
GREEN HONDURAS — IMO 8912132A
The GREEN HONDURAS (IMO 8912132), is a useful example of the often-overlooked working ships that form the physical infrastructure of global food distribution. Built in Belgium in February 1992 at Boelwerf Vlaanderen in Temse, she is a refrigerated cargo vessel, or reefer, measuring approximately 131.25 metres in length and 19.62 metres in beam, with a gross tonnage of 7,743 and deadweight of about 7,726 tonnes. (micharms.de)Her dimensions and appearance place her firmly in the generation of conventional purpose-built reefers that preceded the present dominance of refrigerated containers. Rather than simply carrying standard containers fitted with refrigeration units, a vessel such as GREEN HONDURAS was designed around temperature-controlled cargo. Her recorded refrigerated cargo capacity is substantial, with sources listing approximately 10,652 cubic metres of refrigerated hold space. (vessels.wcpfc.int)
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Vessel Particulars & Specifications
- Vessel Type: Refrigerated Cargo Ship (Reefer)
- Flag: Bahamas 🇧🇸
- MMSI: 311289000
- Call Sign: C6WH8
- Dimensions: 131.25 meters long (LOA) × 19.62 meters wide (beam)
- Tonnage: 7,743 Gross Tonnage (GT) / 7,726 Deadweight Tonnage (DWT)
- Year Built: 1992 (Built by Boelwerf Vlaanderen in Temse, Belgium)
- Former Names: Baen Honduras (until 2018), Pride (until 2005), Crystal Pride (until 2003)
- Management: Green Management Sp. z o.o. (Poland)
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From Crystal Pride to GREEN HONDURAS
The ship's history is particularly interesting because her identity has changed while her underlying role has remained remarkably consistent.
Built as Crystal Pride, yard number 1536, she subsequently became Pride in 2003 and GREEN HONDURAS in 2005. Contemporary ship-photography records document the vessel under all three names, including a 2001 visit to Auckland as Crystal Pride. (seapixonline.com)
Her sister-vessel relationship is also significant. GREEN HONDURAS belongs to the same 1992-built series as vessels such as GREEN GUATEMALA, reflecting a period when specialised reefer ships were being constructed as relatively standardised members of a fleet. The available shipyard records identify Boelwerf and hull number 1536. (vessels.cphst.org)
The name therefore tells only part of the story. The IMO number is the more permanent identity: 8912132. It follows the ship through changes of name, ownership and registry and is consequently the essential identifier for maritime observation and research.
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A specialist ship in a changing industry
The conventional reefer occupies an important place in maritime history. Its purpose is straightforward but technologically demanding: maintain cargo at controlled temperatures over long ocean passages while providing reliable loading, storage and discharge operations.
GREEN HONDURAS was built during the mature period of this specialised reefer concept. Her recorded machinery and cargo arrangements reflect a vessel designed around refrigerated cargo rather than a general-purpose freighter. Historical technical records list three cargo holds and extensive refrigerated spaces. (torgachkin.ru)
The wider shipping industry has since moved strongly toward reefer containers, allowing temperature-controlled cargo to move through integrated container logistics. Yet specialist refrigerated ships remain relevant for particular cargoes and trades. GREEN HONDURAS is therefore more than an ageing cargo vessel: she represents a continuing branch of maritime technology that has adapted to changing patterns of international trade.
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A ship with a long working life
At roughly 34 years old in 2026, GREEN HONDURAS is a veteran by contemporary commercial-shipping standards. Yet the available records indicate that she remains an operational vessel rather than a preserved relic.
Her present registration is under the Bahamas flag, with Nassau associated with her registry. Her call sign is C6WH8 and her MMSI is 311289000. Current vessel records identify Green Shipping AS as owner and Green Management as manager. (vessels.wcpfc.int)
Her continuing regulatory footprint is also noteworthy. U.S. Coast Guard records list GREEN HONDURAS among vessels with an active Certificate of Financial Responsibility, with the current entry extending from March 2026 to March 2029. (U.S. Coast Guard)
That does not by itself tell us everything about her commercial condition, but it does reinforce an important observational point: age and obsolescence are not synonymous in shipping. A vessel can remain economically useful when its design, machinery, cargo system and maintenance regime continue to satisfy operational requirements.
GREEN HONDURAS as a Maritime Observation subject
For maritime observation, GREEN HONDURAS is particularly valuable because she is visually and historically identifiable.
Her relatively narrow beam compared with her 131-metre length, substantial superstructure and distinctive refrigerated-cargo configuration provide a recognisable profile. The IMO number gives the observer a reliable means of confirming identity, while AIS data can establish voyage context when the vessel is transmitting.
Indeed, recent tracking records show how useful AIS can be in conjunction with visual observation. In late August 2026, GREEN HONDURAS was recorded underway with a destination of Cape Town, providing an excellent example of how a ship can move from being simply an unidentified distant silhouette to a documented maritime subject through the combination of visual recognition, AIS and vessel databases. (Trackipi)
This is precisely where maritime photography becomes more than picture-taking. A photograph records the ship at one particular moment; the associated research reconstructs what the ship is, where it came from, what it carries, how old it is and where it fits into the maritime transport system.
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A quiet survivor of globalisation
There is something particularly appropriate about the name GREEN HONDURAS. It suggests a geographical identity, yet the vessel itself is an expression of an intensely international system: Belgian construction, Norwegian ownership interests, Bahamian registration, international management and worldwide refrigerated cargo operations.
Her history illustrates the global nature of merchant shipping far better than the name alone might suggest.
Built more than three decades ago, renamed twice, photographed in ports including Auckland and IJmuiden, and still appearing in contemporary vessel-tracking records, GREEN HONDURAS demonstrates the longevity that can exist within commercial maritime assets. (seapixonline.com)
For the maritime observer, therefore, GREEN HONDURAS is not simply another reefer passing along the coast. She is a working historical document — a surviving example of the conventional refrigerated cargo ship and a reminder that the global food economy depends upon a vast fleet of specialised vessels that most people never see.
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Photographic Equipment
Camera: Canon EOS R6 Mark III
Lens: Canon RF 800mm f/11 IS STM Lens
Photographic Genre: Maritime Photography / Ship Spotting
Post Processing: Adobe Lightroom Classic Version 15
Lighthouse Reference Points
Maritime Location: Table Bay, Cape Town, South Africa
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Photographic Technique: Long-range documentary vessel photography from the Cape Town coastline, using a super-telephoto lens to record offshore commercial fishing vessels with maximum practical detail. This approach combines maritime photography, ship spotting and long-distance telephoto photography, allowing vessel identification, visual documentation and contextual observation from shore. Images form part of the Maritime Observation System (MOS), where photographic evidence supports the wider process of observing, identifying, investigating and documenting vessels operating in Table Bay, Cape Town.
References
FleetPhoto. (n.d.). Green Honduras – Crystal Prince type.
SeapixOnline. (2001, October 27). Crystal Pride, Pride, Green Honduras.
U.S. Coast Guard. (2026). Active eCOFR vessel status report. (U.S. Coast Guard)
Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission. (2026). GREEN HONDURAS (VID: 12442), IMO 8912132.
Shipspotting. (2008). GREEN HONDURAS – IMO 8912132.
Ship Spotting Photography as Maritime Observation
