GOOD WIND (IMO 9651345) Table Bay, Cape Town
GOOD WIND (IMO 9651345) | Vernon Chalmers Photography
Discover GOOD WIND (IMO 9651345), an offshore support vessel documented through maritime photography and the MOS research approach in Cape Town. |
| GOOD WIND (IMO 9651345) Table Bay, Cape Town |
Photographer's Note: GOOD WIND (IMO 9651345) 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.
Ship Spotting Photography Training Cape Town
An Offshore Support Vessel in Cape Town's Maritime Environment
GOOD WIND (IMO 9651345)
The maritime environment around Cape Town offers more than a succession of cargo ships, tankers and passenger vessels. It also includes specialised working vessels whose contribution to maritime operations is less immediately visible to the general observer. GOOD WIND (IMO 9651345) is one such vessel.Photographed for Vernon Chalmers Photography, GOOD WIND presents a distinctive profile: a deep-blue hull, a compact but substantial superstructure, extensive deck equipment and a prominent yellow crane. Its configuration draws attention to a category of maritime activity associated with offshore support, equipment handling and specialised marine operations.
The vessel's identity is corroborated by maritime reference sources, which classify GOOD WIND as an offshore tug/supply ship or anchor-handling vessel. The available records identify it by IMO number 9651345 and record its construction in 2012. These details establish a factual foundation for interpreting the photograph within the wider context of maritime observation around Cape Town.
Identifying GOOD WIND
Reliable vessel identification begins with the relationship between photographic evidence and an enduring identifier. In this instance, the name GOOD WIND is visible on the hull, accompanied by the home-port inscription KINGSTOWN. Maritime tracking sources associate the same vessel name with IMO 9651345, MMSI 375145000 and call sign J8B6168.
The IMO number is particularly useful for research because it distinguishes a vessel from other ships that may share a similar name. Names, flags and management arrangements can change over a vessel's working life; the IMO number provides a more stable reference for connecting historical and contemporary records.
Available maritime databases identify GOOD WIND as an offshore support vessel. Some classify it more specifically as an offshore tug/supply ship, while others describe it as an anchor-handling vessel. These descriptions are compatible with a specialised offshore working role, although the precise operational classification should be confirmed against authoritative vessel documentation before more detailed claims are made.
The vessel's recorded dimensions are approximately 59 metres in length and 15 metres in beam. Such proportions, combined with the equipment visible in the photograph, give GOOD WIND a different visual character from the large commercial cargo ships commonly encountered along Cape Town's maritime approaches.
Reading the Vessel Through Photography
The photograph provides an opportunity to examine the vessel as a working platform rather than merely as a named ship.
The blue hull establishes a strong visual foundation, contrasting with the yellow crane and the white superstructure. Above the hull, the bridge, mast, antennae and navigation equipment form a dense arrangement of structures associated with vessel control and communications.
The open working deck is particularly significant. Unlike a conventional container ship, whose principal cargo-handling arrangements are organised around container stacks and dedicated cargo equipment, GOOD WIND presents a more open and equipment-oriented working area. The prominent crane and associated deck machinery suggest a vessel configured for specialised tasks involving the handling or positioning of equipment.
This is a photographic interpretation of the vessel's visible configuration, not confirmation of a particular operation. The photograph does not establish what cargo, if any, was being handled, whether the crane was in use, or what assignment the vessel was undertaking at the time.
For maritime photography, this distinction matters. A photograph can document physical characteristics with considerable precision while leaving the operational circumstances unresolved. Good documentation preserves both the visual evidence and the limits of what can reasonably be inferred from it.
The Role of Offshore Support Vessels
Offshore support vessels form part of the wider infrastructure that enables work at sea. Depending on their design and equipment, vessels in this category may support offshore installations, transport supplies, assist with anchor-handling operations or undertake other specialised marine tasks.
Anchor-handling vessels are associated with the deployment, recovery and repositioning of anchors and related equipment used in offshore operations. Offshore supply vessels, meanwhile, can transport provisions, materials and equipment to support offshore activities. Some vessels combine capabilities, and terminology varies between operational, commercial and tracking databases.
GOOD WIND's recorded classification and visible deck arrangement place it within this broader family of specialised working vessels. Its crane, open deck and robust external fittings are useful points of photographic observation. They indicate a vessel designed around work-related functions rather than primarily around passenger accommodation or the carriage of standardised commercial cargo.
Nevertheless, the precise capabilities of a vessel cannot be established from appearance alone. Crane capacity, dynamic positioning capability, towing performance, anchor-handling equipment specifications and other technical particulars require supporting documentation.
For this reason, the vessel's classification is best presented at the level supported by the available records: an offshore tug/supply vessel with an associated anchor-handling classification in some maritime databases.
GOOD WIND and Cape Town's Maritime Landscape
Cape Town's maritime environment connects port activity with coastal navigation, offshore operations and the broader movement of vessels through the South Atlantic region. The port is not simply a destination for large merchant ships; it is also a point of reference for observing the varied vessels that support maritime activity.
Within the Maritime Observation System (MOS) developed for Vernon Chalmers Photography, the V&A Waterfront, Milnerton Lighthouse, Robben Island and other relevant coastal landmarks provide geographical and interpretive reference points. They help situate an observation within Cape Town's maritime landscape, provided the actual observation location is recorded accurately.
GOOD WIND is a useful subject for this wider approach because its specialised profile encourages the observer to look beyond the vessel's name. Its equipment, hull configuration and working deck raise questions about vessel function, design and the role of offshore support in contemporary maritime operations.
The photograph alone, however, does not establish the exact location or date of the encounter. Those details should be drawn from the original photographic metadata, the photographer's observation record or corroborating vessel-tracking information. The vessel's presence in Cape Town in other tracking records cannot independently prove where or when this particular photograph was made.
That separation between the documented encounter and the vessel's wider movements is fundamental to a credible maritime archive.
V&A Waterfront Cape Town Photography
Vessel History and Research Provenance
Available vessel-history records associate GOOD WIND with earlier names including CRESCENDO, VEGA CRUSADER and SK LINE 71. They also record changes in flag history. These details indicate that the vessel's present identity forms part of a longer administrative and operational history.
Historical names are important when tracing vessels across older photographs, ship registers, tracking platforms and maritime publications. A vessel may appear under different names in records created at different times, and a search limited to its current name can overlook useful evidence.
The historical sequence should therefore be treated as a research lead until it has been checked against more comprehensive records. Each former name should be linked to its supporting source and, where possible, to the period during which it was used.
Some reported particulars also differ slightly between tracking services. Gross tonnage, for example, appears as both 1,678 and 1,680. Rather than silently selecting one figure, a structured research record should preserve the discrepancy and identify the source of each value. Differences in database presentation do not automatically establish that either source is authoritative.
This method allows the essay to remain readable while retaining the evidence needed for future verification.
The MOS Approach: From Observation to Interpretation
GOOD WIND illustrates the value of the Maritime Observation System's sequence: Observe, Photograph, Identify, Investigate, Document, Archive and Interpret.
Observation establishes the encounter. Photography records the vessel's visible characteristics. Identification connects the photographed subject to a vessel name and IMO number. Investigation adds verified particulars and historical context. Documentation transforms the findings into a coherent account, while archiving preserves the image and its research references for future use.
Interpretation then places the vessel within the wider maritime environment without confusing evidence with assumption.
For this encounter, the photograph is the primary visual record; the IMO number provides the identity link; and maritime tracking databases supply the initial particulars for further research. The remaining observation details should be incorporated from the original image metadata and field notes.
This process also supports the development of the MIA research database, connecting individual vessels with their observations, photographs, published essays and source records. The result is more than a collection of ship photographs: it is a growing, searchable body of maritime documentation.
Maritime Observation System
Conclusion
GOOD WIND (IMO 9651345) represents the specialised working-vessel component of Cape Town's maritime environment. Its offshore support classification, substantial deck crane and equipment-oriented layout distinguish it from the more familiar cargo and passenger vessels encountered in maritime photography.
The photograph provides a visual record of the vessel's external configuration, while maritime reference sources establish a foundation for its identification and broader context. Historical names and minor discrepancies in reported particulars offer further opportunities for research rather than reasons to overstate certainty.
Through the MOS framework, GOOD WIND becomes both a photographic subject and a documented maritime record. The encounter can be connected to a stable vessel identity, supported by research sources and preserved for subsequent analysis within the Vernon Chalmers Photography maritime archive.
Research note: The observation date, precise photographic location and original image metadata should be added before the record is considered complete. These details are essential to distinguish this particular encounter from other documented movements of GOOD WIND.
Photographic Equipment
Cameras: Canon EOS R6 Mark III
Lenses: Canon RF 800mm f/11 IS STM
Photographic Genre: Maritime Photography / Ship Spotting
Post Processing: Adobe Lightroom Classic Version 15
Lighthouse Reference Points
Green Point Lighthouse
Milnerton Lighthouse
Robben Island Lighthouse
V&A Waterfront: A Table Bay Reference Point
Maritime Location: Table Bay, Cape Town, South Africa
