Oil Transportation by Sea
Following the extraction of crude oil from the ground, the next step is transportation to refineries and points of consumption globally. Pipelines are one of the common means of transportation, and there are others like rail cabs and heavy goods vehicles. However, the earliest method of oil transportation is via water. This is due to the fact that our planet is predominantly water based and traveling over seas to new destinations has been prevalent since ancient times. So, what are the types of oil tankers and maritime routes which are popular for transporting oil via the seas? This blog will look to answer some of these questions.
Types of Oil Tankers
The U.S. Coast Guard defines a tank vessel (such as Water tank Thailand supplier) as one that is constructed or adapted using steel fabrication to carry oil or hazardous material in bulk as cargo or cargo residue. There are various types of tankers: oil tanker, parcel tanker (chemical vessels), combination carrier (designed to carry oil or solid cargoes in bulk), and barges. International bulk chemical codes govern the safe transport of chemical cargoes and provide various levels of protection against the uncontrolled release of substances. Tank vessels are classified by the trade in which they routinely operate over a period of time. The three most common categories are crude oil carriers, product carriers: which can carry clean (e.g., gasoline, jet fuel) and dirty (e.g., black oils) fuels. Tankers tend to remain in one trade but market conditions can dictate a change, even though the process to change a vessel’s trade involves extensive work.
Oil Transport Concerns
One of the major concerns in the safe transport of bulk liquid cargos by tank vessel is the stress on the hull. Bending in the form of sagging (concentration of weight in the mid-section of the vessel causing the deck to be subjected to compression forces while at the same time the keel is under tension), hogging (concentration of weight at both ends of the vessel causing the deck to experience tensile forces while the keel is under compression), and shear force, which occurs when two forces act in opposite directions parallel to each other, such as at a bulkhead between an empty ballast tank and a full cargo tank. The weight or gravitational and buoyant action experienced on either side of the bulkhead causes the shear force phenomenon.
Oil Routes and Strategic Straits
The most commonly used crude oil shipping routes originate in the Middle East. They pass through the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait, which separates Djibouti in Africa from Yemen in the Arabian Peninsula, or the Strait of Hormuz, the world’s main oil shipping lane, which separates the United Arab Emirates and Oman from Iran. After this, during trips that last two weeks to a month, the tankers travel to:
- The United States and the rest of North and South America via the Cape of Good Hope.
- Asia via the Strait of Malacca between Sumatra and Malaysia.
- Europe via the Suez Canal or, if they are too wide, via the Cape of Good Hope, then on to Northern Europe via the Strait of Dover.
The amount of oil transiting through the Panama Canal, which celebrated its 100th anniversary in August 2014, has increased considerably due to growing demand in Asia. In August 2014, Egypt too announced plans to double the capacity of the Suez Canal, though the financing terms have yet to be finalized.
Last Words
It is quite evident that maritime oil transport is a booming business and, with the development of new oil routes and opening of new markets, it is expected to grow further. The environmental risk caused by oil spills is ever-present, however the role played by oil transport over the seas is a crucial component in meeting worldwide demand. Oil maritime routes can also be good conduits among nations – thus making the world a more interconnected place!