Tanker
A Tanker is a merchant ship built to carry liquid cargo in bulk in a series of integral tanks, loaded and discharged through pipelines and pumps rather than by crane. Tankers move a vast share of the world's energy and chemicals, and are grouped by what they carry: crude oil tankers, product tankers (refined petroleum), chemical tankers, and gas carriers (LNG and LPG).
Tankers are described by size classes tied to cargo, draft and canal limits — from Handysize and MR products tankers up through Aframax, Suezmax and VLCC/ULCC crude carriers. They carry demanding safety and environmental responsibilities (pollution risk, MARPOL, tanker vetting via SIRE), and quantities are measured by ullage. Employed largely on the charter market, tankers are central to the seaborne energy trade. The tanker sector is one of the major pillars of shipping alongside dry bulk and containers.
Tankers move the energy that runs the world — crude, fuels, chemicals and gas — under some of shipping's strictest safety and pollution rules. Their size classes and chartering shape global energy trade and freight markets. Understanding the tanker sector, and how it differs from dry bulk and container shipping, is fundamental to understanding seaborne trade.
What are the main types of tanker?
Crude oil tankers, product (refined petroleum) tankers, chemical tankers and gas carriers (LNG and LPG).
How are tankers sized?
By classes tied to cargo and canal/draft limits — Handysize, MR, Aframax, Suezmax and VLCC/ULCC for crude.