TANKER FLEET INTELLIGENCE
Oil Tankers
Crude & Product Fleet
ULCC supertankers to coastal product tankers — full vessel size classification, technical specifications, trading routes, and real-time fleet intelligence.
VESSEL SIZE CLASSIFICATION
Tanker Size Categories
| Class | DWT Range |
|---|---|
ULCC Ultra Large Crude Carrier | > 320,000 DWT |
VLCC Very Large Crude Carrier | 200,000–319,999 DWT |
Suezmax Suezmax Tanker | 120,000–199,999 DWT |
Aframax Aframax Tanker | 80,000–119,999 DWT |
Panamax Panamax Tanker | 50,000–79,999 DWT |
Handymax Handymax Tanker | 25,000–49,999 DWT |
Product Tanker Small Product Tanker | < 25,000 DWT |
Too large for Suez or Panama — deepwater terminals only
Dominant crude carrier class; ~800 vessels in service
Sized for laden Suez Canal transit
Most versatile crude class; extensive regional trade
Original Panama Canal beam limit (32.3 m)
MR2 subclass (38–45k DWT) most common product tanker
Often coated tanks for multi-product flexibility
LIVE FLEET DATA
Recently Tracked Tankers
| IMO | Vessel Name | Type | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9781628 | OCEANIA STAR | VLCC | Underway |
| 9434416 | NORDIC ANNE | VLCC | At Anchor |
| 9643171 | ELANDRA FALCON | Suezmax | Underway |
| 9712358 | CAPE LEON | Aframax | Berthed |
| 9801234 | STOLT SAKURA | Handymax (MR2) | Underway |
Sample data for illustration. Live AIS tracking available via HeyMariner vessel search.
TANKER CLASSIFICATION
Understanding Tanker Classes
Tankers are classified primarily by deadweight tonnage (DWT), which determines trading routes, port access, and cargo capacity.
Crude Oil Tankers
Transport unrefined crude oil from production fields to refineries. VLCC and ULCC classes dominate long-haul trade on established dirty routes.
Product Tankers
Carry refined petroleum products — gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, naphtha — from refineries to distribution terminals. Often have coated or stainless tanks.
Double Hull Requirement
IMO Regulation 13G requires all oil tankers to have double-hull construction. Single-hull vessels were phased out since 2010 for enhanced environmental protection.
MARPOL Compliance
Tankers must comply with MARPOL Annex I regulations governing oil pollution prevention including segregated ballast tanks and crude oil washing systems.
Deadweight Tonnage
DWT measures the total weight a vessel can carry — cargo, fuel, ballast water, crew and stores. It is the primary metric for classifying tanker size and commercial value.
Baltic Tanker Indices
BDTI (dirty tankers) and BCTI (clean tankers) are benchmark freight rate indices for crude and product tanker markets, published daily by the Baltic Exchange.