Oil Tankers

Oil Tankers
Recently, there have been a number of oil spills that have
attracted media attention. In San Francisco Bay, the Cosco
Butan hit the Bay Bridge and spilled a quantity of oil. In
South Korea, a barge hit the Hedei Spirit and spilled a
larger quantity of oil. In the Black Sea, an oil tanker
broke apart in a storm and killed a number of birds. All of
these accidents have brought to light classifications of
oil tankers. The main distinction between the various types
is whether or not the tanker has a single hull or a double
hull.

Single hull tankers are the older version of oil tankers.
Their hull has only one layer of metal and is not
reinforced by a second layer. This single layer of hull
(the outside of the ship) makes them much more susceptible
to oil spills as an object, such as a bridge or land, only
needs to pierce one layer of the ship to cause large
amounts of oil to flow freely into the ocean or bay.
Because of the huge number of spills in the world that have
drawn attention to this type of ship, the Exxon Valdez
accident involved a single-hulled ship, they are generally
viewed in a negative light. To combat this, various
countries have tried to create incentives for oil companies
to use only double-hulled ships. Also, the International
Maritime Organization (IMO) mandated that the single-hulled
tankers of the world be taken out of service by 2010. There
are still a few exceptions to the rule though.

Double hull tankers are the newer version of oil tankers.
Their hulls have two layers, hence the name double hull.
This second layer of a hull makes it much more difficult
for an object, like a barge, to puncture through to the oil
carrying areas of the ship. This, in turn, makes it much
more difficult for oil to escape the confines of the ship
and leak out into the ocean or any body of water. Double
hull tankers are much more expensive than single hull ones
which is making oil companies reluctant to switch over.
Their point is that there are relatively few oil spill
accidents in the world when you consider the number of
tankers that are constantly cruising the world's oceans. To
combat this, various countries have made the penalties
faced if a spill does occur less if the ship involved was
double-hulled.

In addition to distinctions made concerning the type of
hull a ship has, there are size classifications as well.
The size of the ship depends mostly on its carrying
capacity. This method was developed by Shell Oil in the
1950s and is called AFRA (Average Freight Rate Assessment).
The system is based on creating a range of dead weight
tonnage (DWT) for each classification. Many of the oil
tankers that have been in the news lately have been Very
Large Crude Carriers (VLCC) which means that they have a
dead weight tonnage of between 160,000 tons and 319,999
tons. Anything above 319,999 is called an Ultra Large Crude
Carrier. The Exxon Valdez was only a Medium Range tanker
with a capacity of between 25,000 and 44,999 tons.

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Joe Devine
http://www.admiraltylawsuitattorney.com