The technical name for this class of ship is VLCC – very large crude carrier. These are the workhorses of the ocean: capable of carrying up to 350,000 tonnes of oil, longer than the Empire State Building is tall. There are bigger oil tankers these days – the ultra-large crude carrier class – but they are almost too big: unable to dock at any but the very deepest deep-water ports, so it’s mostly VLCCs these days.
