How many barrels of oil in a tanker

As of November 2010, there are 11,127 oil tankers in operation hauling anywhere from 500,000 to 4 million barrels of oil each. The most common haulers are divided into classes based on their deadweight tonnage, the total amount of weight that they can carry, including crew, ballast water, cargo, fuel and provisions.

Panamax

These crude oil tankers weigh up to 70,000 dead weight tons, with a capacity of 500,000 barrels of oil. This is the largest size vessel that can travel through the Panama Canal.

Aframax

These tankers weigh from 70,000 to 120,000 dead weight tons, with a capacity of 750,000 barrels of oil. These tankers are the largest tankers in the Average Freight Rate Assessment (AFRA) tanker rate system.

Suezmax

These vessels weigh from 120,000 to 200,000 dead weight tons, with a capacity of 1 million barrels of oil. This is the largest size tanker that can travel through the Suez Canal.

Very Large Crude Carrier

These carriers, also called VLCC, weigh from 200,000 to 325,000 dead weight tons. They have a capacity of approximately 2 million barrels of oil. These carriers are used mostly in the Mediterranean, North Sea and near West Africa.

Ultra Large Crude Carrier

These carriers, also called ULCC, weigh from 325,000 to 550,000 dead weight tons. They have a capacity of up to 4 million barrels of oil. These tankers are used in routes from the Arabian Gulf to Europe and America to Asia.

References

• World Trade Ref: Vessel Classifications

Writer Bio

Anne Davis writes pieces on domestic and international travel, automotive maintenance, education and health. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in English and history, and is pursuing graduate study in a related field.

Canada has the longest coastline in the world and Canadians are rightly concerned about protecting it.

Spill Prevention

Preventing shipping accidents, incidents and oil spills is a shared responsibility among international, national, provincial and local bodies, and ship owners and operators. Working together, the following measures are aimed at preventing accidents and spills in Canadian waters.

Marine Pilots

These licensed Canadian navigational experts conduct tankers and other ships in harbours and busy waterways.

Mandatory Double Hulls

All tankers must have 2 watertight layers on the bottom and sides of ships. The double layer construction helps in reducing the risks of marine pollution in the event of damage to the ship's hull.

Navigational Aids

Navigating Canadian waters is made safer using visual, auditory and electronic aids that warn of obstructions and mark shipping routes.

Marine Inspections

Transport Canada regularly deploys marine inspectors to ensure tankers transiting Canadian waters are in safe operating condition and that every tanker operating in Canada has a double hull. The Government of Canada requires that all Canadian tankers be inspected once a year and that all foreign tankers be inspected on their first visit to Canada and at least once a year afterward.

Tug Escorts

In designated areas, tug boats escort loaded tankers and aid both incoming and outgoing vessels - they can slow, stop or steer a vessel if it loses power or its steering system.

Spill Response

While minimizing risks through prevention measures is critical – what happens if a spill does occur?

The response to an oil spill influences the spill’s impact – and can avoid or reduce negative environmental, social, economic and health impacts.

The way that Canada responds to a spill involves a combination of industry-led initiatives and government regulation and oversight. Industry – whose activities create the risk – bears financial responsibility to prepare for and respond to spills. In Canada, industry is required to do so through 4 industry-funded and government-certified response organizations which are prepared to respond to spills.

Simply stated – if a tanker is headed to a Canadian port, the shipowner must have an agreement with a response organization before entering Canadian waters. In the event of a spill, the polluter is, by law, required to pay for the cost of clean-up

Unlike the south, there are no certified response organizations for Arctic spills. Preparedness in the Arctic requires ship and oil handling facility owners to identify – in their respective spill response plans – the resources they would employ to respond to a spill.

Canada’s Marine Oil Spill Response Organizations

• Western Canada Marine Response Corporation (WCMRC)
• Eastern Canada Response Corporation (ECRC)
• Point Tupper Marine Services (PTMS)
• Atlantic Environmental Response Team (ALERT)

The Canadian government delivers the legislation and regulation for the spill response regime and oversees industry's preparedness and actions during a spill. Transport Canada provides the government's legislative and regulatory mandate while the Canadian Coast Guard is tasked with overseeing the response to the spill as the "on-scene commander."

Liability and Compensation – “The Polluter Pays”

How is the clean-up paid for and who pays for the costs?

When a spill from a tanker occurs in Canada, there are different sources of compensation from international and domestic funds. Combined, they could provide up to $1.55 billion for a single oil spill.

Shipowners' Liability for Spills

International conventions make shipowners liable for oil spills from tankers. Liability depends on the size of the ship, and must be backed by the shipowners' mandatory insurance. Learn more.

The Ship-Source Oil Pollution Fund

This Canadian fund was created from levies collected from oil cargo companies. It addresses spills of any type of oil from any type of ship – not just tankers. Changes made to the SOPF in December 2018 removed the per-incident limit of liability; there is effectively no limit to compensation available from the SOPF. Learn more.

International Oil Pollution Compensation Funds

Canada is a member of the International Oil Pollution Compensation Funds which administers 2 international funds created from levies collected from oil cargo companies. Learn more.

Oceans Protection Plan

In November 2016, Prime Minister Trudeau announced a $1.5 billion investment aimed at strengthening the protection of Canada’s coasts through improved marine safety measures. Among relevant measures, the plan includes investments in oil spill response, a moratorium on crude oil tankers on British Columbia’s north coast and enhanced resources for the Canadian Coast Guard. Learn more.

What is the average size of an oil tanker?

How much oil is carried in a ship?

What is the biggest oil tanker in the world?

How many barrels of oil does the largest tanker hold?