MP MR TANKER 3 (IMO: 9573684), Table Bay, Cape Town
MP MR TANKER 3 Oil Products Tanker | IMO 9573684
MP MR TANKER 3, an Indian-flagged oil products tanker, observed in Table Bay, Cape Town. Vessel pcarticulars and maritime photography. |
| MP MR TANKER 3 (IMO: 9573684), Table Bay, Cape Town |
A New Addition to the Table Bay Vessel Register
On 11 October 2026, a maritime observation in Table Bay identified MP MR TANKER 3 (IMO: 9573684) as an incoming oil products tanker sailing under the flag of India. The observation adds another vessel to the expanding maritime archive of Vernon Chalmers Photography and its Maritime Observation System (MOS).
The vessel attracted particular interest because it may represent the first Indian-flagged ship documented for the Table Bay Vessel Register. This distinction should be confirmed against the existing register before being recorded as an established milestone.
The observation illustrates the value of combining maritime photography, vessel identification and structured research. A ship entering Table Bay is not simply a photographic subject; it is an opportunity to document international shipping activity, establish vessel particulars and contribute to a growing record of maritime traffic around Cape Town.
Vessel Specifications
- Vessel Type: Oil Products Tanker (MR2 Tanker, formerly Overseas Carina)
- Flag: India
- Built: 2010
- IMO Number: 9573684
- MMSI: 419001624
- Call Sign: VTKD
- Length Overall (LOA): 179.99 m / 181 m
- Beam (Width): 32.23 m
- Gross Tonnage (GT): 28,813
- Deadweight (DWT): 47,962 t
- Owner/Manager: M. Pallonji Shipping Private Limited
Vessel Identification and Particulars
MP MR TANKER 3 is an oil products tanker identified by its International Maritime Organization number, IMO 9573684. The vessel's recorded particulars include a length overall of 179.99 metres, a beam of 32.23 metres and a deadweight capacity of approximately 47,962 tonnes.
These dimensions place the vessel among the substantial commercial ships encountered in Table Bay. Its size and classification make it a relevant subject for maritime photography and vessel documentation.
The IMO number is particularly important to the research process. Unlike a vessel name, which can change during its operational life, the IMO number provides a persistent identifier that helps connect photographic observations with external vessel records and historical information.
For MOS, this identifier forms the foundation of a consistent vessel record, linking the photograph, research essay and corresponding entry in the Table Bay Vessel Register.
Understanding the Role of an Oil Products Tanker
Oil products tankers form an essential part of the international maritime transport network. They carry refined petroleum products between refineries, storage terminals, distribution facilities and commercial ports. Depending on the vessel's design and certification, these cargoes may include diesel, petrol, aviation fuel and other liquid petroleum products.
Unlike crude oil tankers, which primarily transport unrefined petroleum, product tankers support the distribution of fuels and petroleum products further along the supply chain.
MP MR TANKER 3's recorded deadweight capacity of approximately 47,962 tonnes indicates its substantial carrying capability. Deadweight, however, includes cargo, fuel, provisions and other variable loads. It should not be confused with the quantity of petroleum products carried during a particular voyage.
The vessel's classification establishes its general commercial function, but it does not confirm the cargo aboard during the Table Bay observation. Maintaining this distinction between verified particulars and unconfirmed operational details is an important part of accurate maritime documentation.
Maritime Observation System
The Significance of the Indian Flag
One of the most interesting aspects of this observation is the vessel's Indian flag state.
A vessel's flag identifies its country of registration and establishes the flag state's jurisdiction over matters governed by applicable maritime law. However, the flag does not necessarily establish the nationality of the crew, the origin of the cargo or the nationality of the vessel's commercial owner.
For the Table Bay Vessel Register, flag state is a useful classification field. Recording it consistently across documented vessels makes it possible to examine the international character of the shipping traffic observed off Cape Town.
If confirmed as the first Indian-flagged vessel in the register, MP MR TANKER 3 would provide a useful milestone in the development of the archive. Its significance would extend beyond the individual photograph by demonstrating how the register can reveal patterns and distinctions that might otherwise remain unnoticed.
This is one of the practical advantages of structured maritime research: individual observations can contribute to a broader understanding of the vessels passing through the Table Bay maritime environment.
Table Bay Maritime Environment Through Photography
Table Bay as a Maritime Observation Environment
Table Bay provides a valuable vantage point for observing commercial shipping approaching or departing the Port of Cape Town. From the Milnerton and Woodbridge Island coastline, a wide variety of vessels can be photographed, including container ships, bulk carriers, oil tankers, passenger vessels and specialised maritime traffic.
MP MR TANKER 3 adds an oil products tanker to this developing photographic record.
Its substantial dimensions and tanker configuration provide identifiable visual characteristics that can be documented photographically and compared with published vessel information. The resulting image becomes more useful when connected to a verified vessel name, IMO number, classification, flag state and observation date.
Shore-based ship photography also presents practical challenges. Vessels may be moving continuously through the frame, atmospheric conditions can reduce distant detail, and the available photographic window may be limited. Accurate identification and subsequent research therefore become important extensions of the photographic process.
The MOS approach combines the initial observation with further investigation rather than relying on the photograph alone. This creates a more complete record of the encounter and gives each documented vessel a defined place within the wider archive.
The Table Bay, Cape Town Lighthouse Triangle
The Maritime Observation System: From Observation to Documentation
The MP MR TANKER 3 observation follows the established MOS workflow:
OBSERVE → PHOTOGRAPH → IDENTIFY → INVESTIGATE → DOCUMENT → ARCHIVE → INTERPRET
Observation establishes the vessel's presence in Table Bay. Photography creates the visual record, while identification connects the subject to its IMO number and available vessel particulars.
Investigation establishes additional context, including the vessel's classification, flag state, dimensions and recorded history. Documentation converts the findings into a research-based essay and a corresponding register entry.
Archiving preserves the relationship between the photographic evidence and the supporting research. Interpretation considers the wider significance of the observation, including its contribution to the diversity of vessels documented in Table Bay.
This process distinguishes MOS from a conventional collection of ship photographs. The objective is not simply to accumulate images, but to develop a structured maritime resource in which individual observations contribute to a larger body of knowledge.
Intelligent Database Integration and the Table Bay Vessel Register
The MP MR TANKER 3 observation also demonstrates why Intelligent Database Integration (IDI) is relevant to the continued development of MOS.
As the number of documented vessels increases, individual essays become more useful when their information can be compared against a consistent set of data fields. Vessel name, IMO number, vessel type, flag state, dimensions, observation date and links to related essays provide a practical foundation for a structured database.
Flag-state information is particularly useful. Rather than manually searching multiple essays to establish whether an Indian-flagged vessel has previously been recorded, an appropriately organised dataset could make that information immediately accessible.
The same approach could support questions about the variety of vessel types photographed in Table Bay, the representation of different flag states, repeat observations of individual ships and the relationship between photographic records and published essays.
These possibilities illustrate the transition from a collection of individual maritime articles to an integrated observation and research resource.
The Table Bay Vessel Register and the MOS essays serve complementary purposes. The register provides structured access to vessel information, while the essays offer space for contextual interpretation, photographic observations and further research.
Through IDI, these resources can progressively support more detailed analysis without losing the individual photographic observations that form the foundation of the archive.
Conclusion: Extending the Maritime Record
MP MR TANKER 3 is a valuable addition to the developing Maritime Observation System. Its identification as an Indian-flagged oil products tanker provides another opportunity to connect maritime photography with vessel research, international shipping information and structured documentation.
The possibility that it represents the first Indian-flagged vessel in the Table Bay Vessel Register should be verified against the existing dataset before publication as a definitive milestone.
More broadly, the observation reinforces the central purpose of MOS: to transform individual encounters with maritime traffic into a coherent body of photographic and research-based knowledge.
Each identified vessel contributes another record to the maritime history being assembled around Table Bay. Through consistent identification, reliable research, linked essays and Intelligent Database Integration, these records can become increasingly valuable as both a photographic archive and a resource for understanding the international shipping activity visible from Cape Town's coastline.
Research references
VesselFinder. MP MR TANKER 3 — IMO 9573684. Vessel particulars and identification.
BalticShipping.com. MP MR TANKER 3 — IMO 9573684. Vessel history and particulars.
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
Maritime Location: Table Bay, Cape Town, South Africa
