An oil tanker transports bulk liquids or gasses from offshore
fields to shore which is then sent to the refinery. Once
refined, product tankers distribute gasoline, heavy fuel oil,
and diesel to the tank farms. From there the cargo is
transported by tanker truck, pipelines, rail tanker cars, or
inland barges to the consumers. The largest tanker vessel in the
world is the Jahre Viking (formerly the Seawise Giant). It is
1,504 ft long and 226 ft wide. This is in a class of tankers
called Ultra Large Crude Carriers which carry half a million
tons of crude oil. Very Large Crude Carriers have a capacity of
250,000 - 300,000 tons. However, these vessels are too large to
travel into some ports. For example, the Suez Canal can only
accommodate tankers capable of carrying 140,000 tons of oil or
less.