Oil tanker
Ship that carries petroleum / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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An oil tanker, also known as a petroleum tanker, is a ship designed for the bulk transport of oil or its products. There are two basic types of oil tankers: crude tankers and product tankers.[1] Crude tankers move large quantities of unrefined crude oil from its point of extraction to refineries.[1] Product tankers, generally much smaller, are designed to move refined products from refineries to points near consuming markets.
The commercial oil tanker AbQaiq, in ballast | |
Class overview | |
---|---|
Name | Oil tanker |
Subclasses | Handysize, Panamax, Aframax, Suezmax, Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC), Ultra Large Crude Carrier (ULCC) |
Built | c. 1963–present |
General characteristics | |
Type | Tank ship |
Tonnage | up to 550,000 DWT |
Notes | Rear house, full hull, midships pipeline |
Oil tankers are often classified by their size as well as their occupation. The size classes range from inland or coastal tankers of a few thousand metric tons of deadweight (DWT) to ultra-large crude carriers (ULCCs) of 550,000 DWT. Tankers move approximately 2.0 billion metric tons (2.2 billion short tons) of oil every year.[2][3] Second only to pipelines in terms of efficiency,[3] the average cost of transport of crude oil by tanker amounts to only US$5 to $8 per cubic metre ($0.02 to $0.03 per US gallon).[3]
Some specialized types of oil tankers have evolved. One of these is the naval replenishment oiler, a tanker which can fuel a moving vessel. Combination ore-bulk-oil carriers and permanently moored floating storage units are two other variations on the standard oil tanker design. Oil tankers have been involved in a number of damaging and high-profile oil spills.