In 1968 it was a reefer but built at the outset with the option of being converted to a palletised/box boat which did occur on transfer to Brocklebank. When the photo was taken the ship was importing frozen meat to Southampton Cold Store / thus reefer built before 1980.

As I have just annotated to another photo of PORT CHALMERS here on Shipspotting in response to another commentator's question, if she was a reefer vessel, I have a scan of an article with a detailed ship's description, which appeared in the June issue of 1968 of SHIPPING WORLD AND SHIPBUILDER, and which was entitled, "PORT CHALMERS - World's largest refrigerated cargo vessel".

A real beauty....! Very nice photo....!

I am Marvin James and sailed on this beautiful ship in 1970 or 1971 as a engineering cadet from Liverpool to Cape Town, Port Elizabeth, ? Durban and back. I hid in the focscale with a friend of mine to avoid the dunking of crossing the line but got catch heading back north and boot polish job. Was anyone seeing this on board as I fondly remember most of the trip and would like to hear from you
Marvin James
[email protected]
PS considering making a RC model of this ship. The ship took back millions of bananas plus other goods back to England. I really got on with the radio officer and petty officer with a magnificent tattoo on his back of a fox hunt but told not to socialize with the crew too much! There were 2 other cadets with me one engineer and one deck
Hope to hear from you after over 40 years. I now live in Canada a professional mechanical engineer but my heart is still at sea

Loaded full cargo of lamb bluff every hold and seven thousand bales of wool deck cargo sailed south about for capetown diverted durban landed injured crew off french fishing boat answered sos call buckeled bow and lost some bales due to large sea aggullus current spent chrismas capetown instead of uk discharged wool flushing sighned off london 1971

Gents,
In my humble opinion it's a general cargo ship. It might be that she had, at one time, the biggest, reefer capacity, but still she got general cargo spaces and on deck space for boxes.
Some new mega-boxships also have the biggest available reefer capacity/space in the world but still they are categorized as box-ships and not reefer-ships.
I think the same applies for this one.
Cheers,
Roy

I think the answer depends when/year Lloyds input their data as there were trial conversions which were not satisfactory. Info from Port Line/ Clyde Built / Red Duster web data ... In 1968, the Port Line fleet had numbered 28 ships, but declined until the last two ships, PORT CHALMERS and PORT CAROLINE (both 1968/12,398 grt) were transferred in 1982 to the Brocklebank fleet. These two vessels had been the world's largest reefer ships when completed and had been built without sheer or camber for the greater part of her length to allow for improved stowage of palletised and unitised cargoes. Also designed to carry two tiers of containers on deck. Their freight cost per ton was double that of the 'box boat' container ships and although they could carry containers on deck their hulls were designed for fast 'reefer' passages which restricted the stowing of containers in the holds.

Allan: as far as I and Lloyd's Register are concerned it is a part-refrigerated general cargo ship. As to what site policy is on the matter, you'll have to ask the Reefers Admin (if we still have one)

Thanks for the info

So Bob, how much of it has to be a reefer to call it a reefer ?

Allan

CAROLINE and CHALMERS were not actually full reefers. As well as 18,779 cu m of insulated capacity they had 7,087 cu m (grain) of non-refrigerated cargo holds

Tim, I put it in the 'reefers' category, its the system that is misguided in labelling it general cargo

Allan

Just noticed 'general cargo', I believe that the Chalmers and Caroline were the biggest conventional reefers on the water (non containerised), however, I time takes it's toll, so I stand to be corrected. Tim (Sam) Salt

Hi, I was a young engineer aboard the Port Chalmers. As I recall we dry docked in Antwerp, where the name was changed to Manaar, the British crew was also changed in favour of an Indian crew. How I loved the Saturday curry pub lunches. We hit the headlines in Kiwi, as the last Port line ship to hit the coast. Good times

Hi Allan,
A great shot and a lovely looking ship.

Douglas

What a beautiful ship!

Glad you like it

Allan

Hi Dr. Allan. Wonderful shot. Nice scan. Congratulations.
MBregards.
ventuari.