A ULCC (ultra large crude carrier) is an oil tanker of 320,000 to 550,000 deadweight tonnes, the largest size class of crude carrier ever built. This page covers ULCC size, capacity, draft and history, and what happened to the fleet, for ship’s officers, surveyors and maritime students.
What Is a ULCC?
ULCC stands for ultra large crude carrier: a crude oil tanker of 320,000–550,000 dwt. It is the size class above the VLCC and was built for long-haul crude trades between deepwater terminals.
On the AFRA scale used by tanker brokers, the ULCC band runs from 320,000 to 549,999 dwt. ULCCs are motor tankers (MT) and sit at the top of the oil tanker types and size classes.
How Big Is a ULCC?
The last ULCCs built, the TI class, are 380 m long, 68 m wide and draw 24.5 m loaded at 441,893 dwt. The largest ship ever built, the ULCC Seawise Giant, measured 458.45 m and 564,763 dwt.
| Ship or class | Deadweight | Length overall | Beam | Draft | Built |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seawise Giant (later Jahre Viking, Knock Nevis) | 564,763 dwt | 458.45 m | 68.6 m | 24.6 m | 1979, Sumitomo |
| Batillus class (4 ships) | about 555,000 dwt | 414.22 m | 63.01 m | 28.5 m | 1976–1979, Chantiers de l’Atlantique |
| TI class (4 ships) | 441,893 dwt | 380 m | 68 m | 24.5 m | 2002–2003, Daewoo |
| Typical VLCC, for comparison | 200,000–320,000 dwt | about 330 m | about 60 m | about 20–22 m | Current fleet |
How Much Oil Does a ULCC Carry?
A ULCC carries roughly 2 to 3.7 million barrels of crude, depending on its size and the cargo’s density. The TI class has a cargo capacity of about 2.8 million barrels (450,000 m³).
Deadweight and barrels don’t convert one-to-one. Deadweight includes fuel, water and stores, and a barrel of heavy crude weighs more than a barrel of light crude.
What Is the Draft of a ULCC?
A loaded ULCC draws about 24.5 m (TI class) to 28.5 m (Batillus class). That rules out the Suez Canal, whose maximum draft is 20.1 m, and limits passage through shallow straits.
At full load draft, Seawise Giant could not pass through the English Channel. Draft, more than length, is what confined ULCCs to a small set of routes and terminals.
What Is the Difference Between a ULCC and a VLCC?
A VLCC is 200,000–320,000 dwt and carries about two million barrels; a ULCC is 320,000–550,000 dwt and carries 2–3.7 million. VLCCs form a large active fleet, while no purpose-built ULCC is known to trade crude today.
- Port access: VLCCs use many deepwater terminals; ULCCs fit very few.
- Draft: about 20–22 m for a VLCC against 24.5 m or more for a ULCC.
- Chartering: VLCCs set the benchmark crude freight rates; ULCCs had too few ships and routes to form a market of their own.
How Many ULCCs Are There Today?
Four ULCCs remain afloat: the TI-class sisters built in 2002–2003. All four now serve as floating storage and offloading units (FSOs). No purpose-built ULCC is known to trade crude as a cargo ship.
- TI Asia and TI Africa: converted in 2009–2010 for the Al Shaheen oil field off Qatar.
- TI Europe: converted in 2017, sold in 2022, now operating as an FSO off Malaysia.
- TI Oceania: converted between 2019 and 2024, now operating as an FSO off Malaysia.
The TI class was built by Daewoo as the Hellespont Alhambra, Fairfax, Metropolis and Tara, and took the TI names in 2004. The 1970s ULCCs have all been scrapped.
Why Were ULCCs Built?
ULCCs were built for economies of scale on the long Cape of Good Hope route. When the Suez Canal was closed, Middle East crude had to sail around Africa, and a bigger ship cut the cost per barrel.
Until 1956, tankers were designed to fit the Suez Canal. The canal closures of 1956 and 1967–1975 removed that limit. By the late 1970s, yards in Japan and France were building ships over 400 m long.
Why Did ULCCs Disappear?
ULCCs went out of use because the conditions that justified them were temporary, while their drawbacks were permanent. The Suez Canal reopened, the tanker market collapsed, and VLCCs offered nearly the same cost per barrel with far better port access.
- Suez reopened: the canal reopened in 1975 and was later deepened to a 20.1 m draft, shrinking the Cape-route advantage.
- Market collapse: most 1970s ULCCs were delivered after the 1973 oil crisis, into a large tanker surplus.
- Draft: 24.5–28.5 m loaded shut them out of most terminals and shallow straits, and often forced costly lightering offshore.
- Diminishing returns: cost per barrel falls steeply up to VLCC size, then flattens, so the extra size saved little.
- Cargo size: crude trades in VLCC-sized cargoes of about two million barrels, so ULCCs found few cargoes and charterers.
- Regulation: the MARPOL single-hull phase-out retired the 1970s fleet, and double-hull construction raised the cost of building that big.
- A second life as storage: the size that made them hard to trade suits floating storage, so the last four became FSOs.
Three of the four Batillus-class ships were scrapped after less than ten years of service.
Three of the four Batillus-class ships were scrapped after less than ten years of service. Seawise Giant survived an Iraqi air attack in 1988 and returned to service as Jahre Viking. It became an FSO in 2004 and was scrapped at Alang in 2010.
How Is a ULCC Designed?
A ULCC is a crude tanker with a full hull form, very large cargo tanks and machinery aft. The TI class added a double hull, as MARPOL Annex I requires for tankers ordered after 1993; the 1970s ULCCs were single-hulled.
- Double hull: the TI class was constructed with a double hull to MARPOL standards.
- Speed: the TI class makes about 16.5 knots laden and 17.5 knots in ballast.
- Cargo system: crude oil washing, an inert gas system and high-capacity cargo pumps, as on other large crude carriers.
- Manoeuvring: stopping distances and turning circles are long, so berthing relies on tugs and offshore moorings.
Where Can a ULCC Load and Discharge?
A loaded ULCC needs a deepwater terminal or an offshore single point mooring. It cannot transit the Suez or Panama Canal loaded. ULCC trades therefore ran from the Middle East Gulf to Asia and to Europe via the Cape.
Where the receiving port is too shallow, part of the cargo is transferred to smaller tankers offshore before the ULCC enters. This lightering adds cost and time, which is one reason the class lost out to VLCCs.
What Are the Advantages and Disadvantages of ULCCs?
ULCCs move crude at the lowest cost per barrel on long routes, with low fuel consumption per tonne-mile. Their size limits where they trade, and one casualty risks a very large spill.
- Advantage – cost per barrel: the largest ULCCs carry close to two VLCC cargoes in one voyage.
- Advantage – emissions per tonne-mile: larger ships burn less fuel per tonne of cargo moved.
- Disadvantage – port access: very few terminals take a loaded ULCC.
- Disadvantage – spill risk: the cargo at risk in one casualty is larger than on any other tanker.
- Disadvantage – market flexibility: fewer cargoes and charterers can use a ship of this size.
What Do Inspectors Check on a ULCC or Converted FSO?
A trading ULCC falls under the same Enhanced Survey Programme, port State Control and vetting regimes as any large crude carrier. Once converted to an FSO, it is surveyed by class on location, usually without drydocking.
- Class surveys: ESP close-up surveys and thickness measurements of cargo and ballast tanks during intermediate and renewal surveys. Tank size makes access planning a major part of the survey.
- Port State Control: MARPOL Annex I documents, inert gas and fire protection on trading ships, under the port State control regimes.
- Vetting: charterers screen tankers through a vetting inspection before fixing them.
Related Topics
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- What Is Ship Tonnage? All Types Explained
- Decarbonization of the Shipping Industry
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the full form of ULCC?
ULCC stands for ultra large crude carrier. It is an oil tanker of 320,000 to 550,000 deadweight tonnes, the size class above the VLCC.
How big is a ULCC ship?
The last ULCCs built, the TI class, are 380 m long and 68 m wide at 441,893 dwt. The largest ever, Seawise Giant, was 458.45 m long and 564,763 dwt.
How many barrels of oil does a ULCC carry?
A ULCC carries roughly 2 to 3.7 million barrels, depending on its size and the crude’s density. The TI class carries about 2.8 million barrels (450,000 m³).
How many ULCC tankers are there in the world?
Four ULCCs remain afloat, all of the TI class built in 2002–2003. All four have been converted to floating storage and offloading units, so none is known to trade crude as a cargo ship.
What is the length of a ULCC?
ULCCs range from about 380 m (TI class) to 458.45 m for Seawise Giant, the longest ship ever built. The French Batillus class measured 414.22 m.
What is the draft of a ULCC?
A loaded ULCC draws about 24.5 m (TI class) to 28.5 m (Batillus class). That is too deep for the Suez Canal, which allows a maximum draft of 20.1 m.
What is the difference between a VLCC and a ULCC?
A VLCC is 200,000–320,000 dwt and carries about two million barrels. A ULCC is 320,000–550,000 dwt, needs deeper water and fits far fewer terminals, which is why VLCCs replaced them.
What was the largest ULCC ever built?
Seawise Giant, completed by Sumitomo in 1979, was the largest ULCC and the largest ship ever built at 564,763 dwt. Later named Jahre Viking and Knock Nevis, it was scrapped at Alang in 2010.
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