Automatic translation
By the standards of the history of navigation, the tanker fleet is a relatively new phenomenon. Until the 70s of the XlX century, there were no technical solutions allowing to transport large volumes of liquid directly in the hold of the ship, and not in barrels. On the other hand, there was no particular need for this. The whole invention of the oil still changed, on the one hand, and a number of innovations in shipbuilding: the division of the hull into separate tanks - "tanks", the development of the steel industry, the creation of industrial pumping systems. In 1877, the first ship designed for the transport of bulk liquids, the Zoroaster, was launched.
Demand for large volumes of petroleum products grew, freight and tanker construction were inexpensive, and the maritime oil trade flourished. Today, working on a tanker means being employed on ships carrying oil, chemicals or liquefied gas. Internally, each of these types of ships also has its own classification.
Oil tankers
The most common type of ships carrying liquid cargo. This includes both directly oil tankers (Crude Oil Tankers) and:
oil / Bulk / Ore Tankers
oil carriers (Ore / Oil Tankers)
ships for the transportation of oil products (Oil Product Tankers).
Working hours on a ship of any of these classes are equally well paid.
It is customary to classify them in two ways. The first one is in terms of cargo capacity, or rather, in terms of deadweight. Small tankers (DWT from 16.5 to 25 thousand tons) are more often used for petroleum products, large-tonnage, as a rule, transport crude oil, and supertankers with DWT over 320 thousand tons are used as floating terminals from which oil is shipped to smaller vessels. Another way to classify oil tankers is by size. Classes Suezmax, Malaccamax (aka VLCC), Seawaymax, Panamax correspond to the straits and channels they are designed to pass through. The smallest Seawaymax was created for the successful passage from the Atlantic to the Great Lakes of the United States through the St. Lawrence Canal, Panamax - for maneuvering in the Panama Canal, Suezmax - in the Suez Canal. The most popular Aframax size is not named after the channel, according to the AFRA system developed by Shell Oil. Tankers of this type are distinguished by a combination of spaciousness and relatively compact dimensions, so that they can operate in most ports in the world.
Gas carriers
These are high-speed vessels equipped with the latest technology. Their speed at sea averages 20 knots (versus 14 for oil tankers). Gas carriers are divided into LPG, transporting propylene, propane, butane or liquid ammonia, and LNG - ships for the transport of liquefied natural gas. It is customary to classify them based on the degree of danger of the transported gas. Class 1G ships carry highly hazardous substances and require maximum crew training and discipline. On 3G gas carriers, the level of security measures is average. In any case, the requirements for personnel on this type of tanker are close to the maximum, so if you are looking for work at sea without experience, it is better to forget about gas carriers.
Chemical tankers
This class of tankers appeared after the Second World War, when the chemical industry began to grow rapidly and international trade experienced a post-war growth. They are classified by size (the smallest are for inland waters, the largest are for ocean shipping) and by the degree of danger to a person of the transported cargo. Compared to other tankers, the chemical carrier may seem tiny next to the same gas carrier, but the number of exams that a sailor will have to pass in the process of employment is no less. Nevertheless, it is profitable to work on chemical carriers. Not only high salaries play a role here, but also loyalty programs, free training and short contract terms that employers offer.
