Crude Carriers

Crude Carriers

Crude Carriers

Opis

This is a subtype of an oil tanker. Their size is between 50,000 and 500,000-ton deadweight (DWT), which is the size of a modern ULCC. They’re designed for carrying crude oil and when different grades of crude oil are carried onboard the same vessel, there is no risk of contamination as the oil will be refined before its sale to the end-users. Crude carriers are used for the carriage of crude oil from oil-producing countries to refineries. These vessels can load one or up to two grades, and their pumping and pipeline systems are relatively simple compared to product tankers.

Oil tankers are divided into the following main categories:

  • General-purpose tankers:

    They are used for loading refined oil products and their size is between 10,000 and 25,000 DWT.

  • Handysize tankers:

    They are used for loading refined oil products and their size is between 25,000 and 40,000 DWT.

  • Medium Range (MR) tankers:

    They are used for loading refined oil products and their size is between 40,000 and 55,000 DWT.

  • Long Range 1 (LR1) tankers:

    They are used for loading both refined oil products and unrefined oil products. Those suitable for black products or unrefined oil products are also called Panamax tankers. The Long Range tankers and Panamax are carriers of 55,000 - 80,000 DWT.

  • Long Range 2 (LR2) tankers:

    They are suitable for carrying both refined oil products and unrefined oil products, while their size is between 80,000 and 160,000 DWT. The Long Range 2 tankers, which are suitable for loading unrefined oil products, are also called Aframax tankers (between 80,000 and 120,000 DWT) and Suezmax tankers (between 120,000 and 160,000 DWT).

  • Very Large Crude Carriers (VLCC) and Ultra Large Crude Carriers (ULCC):

    They are only used to carry unrefined oil products and their size can reach up to about 320,000 DWT for VLCC and up to about 550,000 DWT for ULCC