Maritime Glossary
Very Large Crude Carrier
Also known as: VLCC
An oil tanker of 200,000–320,000 DWT used on long-haul crude oil routes.
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Full Definition
VLCCs typically operate on the Arabian Gulf–Far East and AG–Europe (via Cape) routes, too large for the laden Suez Canal and Panama Canal. They are double-hulled, fitted with inert gas systems, crude oil washing (COW), and ODME. The ULCC category (>320,000 DWT) includes the former Seawise Giant at ~564,000 DWT. Worldscale and Worldscale flat rates are used for freight quotation. VLCC supply/demand drives headline tanker market rates measured in WS points.
Domain Tags
vessel typescargooil and gas