VLCC

A Very Large Crude Carrier is a crude oil tanker of roughly 200,000 to 320,000 DWT, the workhorse of long-haul crude trades such as the Arabian Gulf to East Asia. A laden VLCC is too deep for the Suez Canal and either routes around the Cape or part-discharges to transit, while the larger ULCC above 320,000 DWT has largely disappeared from the fleet. Above the Suezmax of about 150,000 to 160,000 DWT, the VLCC offers the lowest crude transport cost per barrel on the major export routes.