Types of Tanker VESSEL - Classification by Size and Cargo

Understanding the Different Types of Tanker Vessels

Tanker Ships are specially designed to transport liquids in bulk. They generally transport crude oil, petroleum products, chemicals, LNG, LPG and other liquid cargoes.

Tanker Ships are of various sizes, design, & purpose, and they are classified based on the type of cargo they carry and their capacity.

Petroleum-product tankers & Crude Oil Tankers – Coastal Vessels Starts from as small as 60 mtrs in length with capacity of 1500 DWT to Ocean going vessels as large as 5,50,000 DWT & may have a length even > 400 mtrs.

Types of Tanker Ships – 1) Crude Oil Tankers, (2) Product Tankers (3). Chemical Tankers (4) LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas) Carriers (5) LPG (Liquefied Petroleum Gas) Carriers (6) Bitumen Carriers & (7) Wine and Edible Oil Tankers.

1. Oil Tankers

Oil tankers are used to transport crude oil and refined petroleum products. They are divided into following categories based on their size:

a. Ultra Large Crude Carrier (ULCC)

Capacity: 320,000 to 550,000 DWT (Deadweight Tons)
Length: Typically > 400 meters
Cargo Type: Crude oil

b. Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC)

Capacity: 200,000 to 320,000 DWT
Length: Around 330 meters
Cargo Type: Crude oil

c. Suezmax

Capacity: 120,000 to 200,000 DWT
Length: Around 275 meters
Cargo Type: Crude oil and refined products

d. Aframax

Capacity: 80,000 to 120,000 DWT
Length: Around 250 meters
Cargo Type: Crude oil and Refined products

e. Panamax

Capacity: 50,000 to 80,000 DWT
Length: Around 200-250 meters
Cargo Type: Crude oil and refined products

f. Handysize

Capacity: 10,000 to 50,000 DWT
Length: Around < 200 meters
Cargo Type: Refined products (e.g., gasoline, diesel, kerosene)

2. Product Tankers

Product tankers are designed to carry refined petroleum products like gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, etc.

a. Medium Range (MR) Tankers

Capacity: 25,000 to 50,000 DWT
Length: Around 175-200 meters
Cargo Type: Refined products (gasoline, jet fuel, etc.)
Details: MR tankers are the most common product tankers, used to transport refined products across regional and short-sea routes.

b. Long Range 1 (LR1)

Capacity: 45,000 to 80,000 DWT
Length: Around 200-250 meters
Cargo Type: Refined products (gasoline, diesel, jet fuel)
Details: LR1 tankers can carry larger volumes of refined products than MR tankers and are used for longer-haul routes.

c. Long Range 2 (LR2)

Capacity: 80,000 to 160,000 DWT
Length: Around 250-300 meters
Cargo Type: Refined products and light crude oil
Details: LR2 tankers are similar in size to Aframax vessels and are commonly used on long-haul routes to transport large volumes of refined products.

3. Chemical Tankers

Chemical tankers are designed to transport various liquid chemicals. They often feature segregated tanks and having advanced systems to prevent contamination between different chemicals.

Chemical tankers are designed to transport chemicals in bulk. There are several types of chemical tanker vessels, which fall under the category of IMO type Tankers IMO Type 1, Type 2, and Type 3.

These tankers are classified based on the level of safety features required to carry various types of cargo:

IMO Type 1: Designed to carry the most hazardous chemicals

IMO Type 2: Designed to carry chemicals which possess moderate level of hazard

IMO Type 3: Designed to carry chemicals which possess the least hazardous chemicals.

a. Small Chemical Tankers

Capacity: 5,000 to 25,000 DWT
Length: Around 120-180 meters
Cargo Type: Chemicals (e.g., acids, alcohols, solvents)

b. Medium Chemical Tankers

Capacity: 25,000 to 40,000 DWT
Length: Around 150-200 meters
Cargo Type: Chemicals, edible oils, refined products

c. Large Chemical Tankers

Capacity: 40,000+ DWT
Length: Around 200-250 meters
Cargo Type: Chemicals and refined products

4. Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Carriers

LNG carriers are designed for the transport of natural gas in its liquefied state at very low temperatures (-160°C).

Capacity: 125,000 to 266,000 cubic meters
Length: Around 300 meters
Cargo Type: Liquefied natural gas (LNG)
Details: LNG carriers are equipped with specialized insulated tanks to maintain the extremely low temperatures required for LNG. The largest LNG carriers (Q-Max) can transport up to 266,000 cubic meters of LNG.

5. Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) Carriers

LPG carriers are used to transport liquefied petroleum gases such as propane, butane, and other light hydrocarbons.

Types of LPG Carriers -

1. Fully Pressurized Carriers: These are the smallest LPG carriers, generally are used for short routes with max capacities up to 4,000 cubic meters. They rely solely on pressure to keep the LPG in liquid form.
2. Semi-Pressurized/Refrigerated Carriers: These medium-sized carriers, with capacities of up to 15,000 cubic meters, use a combination of pressure and refrigeration to transport LPG.
3. Fully Refrigerated Carriers: These are the very large LPG carriers, with capacities of up to 90,000 cubic meters. Fully refrigerated carriers are used for long-haul routes, transporting large volumes of LPG across oceans.

a. Small LPG Carriers

Capacity: 1,000 to 10,000 cubic meters
Length: Around 100 meters
Cargo Type: Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG)
Details: Small LPG carriers are used for coastal transportation of LPG.

b. Handysize LPG Carriers

Capacity: 10,000 to 35,000 cubic meters
Length: Around 120-170 meters
Cargo Type: LPG
Details: These carriers are commonly used for regional shipping and can handle moderate volumes of LPG cargo.

c. Very Large Gas Carrier (VLGC)

Capacity: 80,000 to 100,000 cubic meters
Length: Around 230-250 meters
Cargo Type: LPG
Details: VLGCs are the largest gas carriers, used for long-distance transport of LPG.

6. Shuttle Tankers

Shuttle tankers are used to transport oil from offshore production platforms to onshore terminals or refineries.

Capacity: 80,000 to 150,000 DWT
Length: Around 250-300 meters
Cargo Type: Crude oil

Details: Shuttle tankers are equipped with (DP2) Dynamic positioning systems to maintain position while loading from offshore platforms, and they are designed to operate in harsh environments in high Seas.