# Tankers, barges and fuel trucks

Ships, barges, rail tank cars, road tankers and cans that move liquid fuels.

Source page: https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_tankers/

Transport · Liquid and gaseous fuels · No. 56

- Transport
- Form: Liquid fuel
 Transport · Liquid and gaseous fuels · Foundation · Energy

In September 2026 a supertanker earned about USD 1.1 million a day, against a 20-year average of USD 29,900.

Chart: Illustration: Tankers, barges and fuel trucks

##### Where it comes from

Chart: Map of where it comes from

Shore pumps fill a tanker's separate tanks, and cleaned exhaust gas fills the space above the oil to prevent fire. A loaded VLCC draws about 20 m and carries roughly 2.2 million barrels.

##### Three things to know

1. A VLCC round trip from the Gulf to Japan burns only about 0.6-1.6% of its cargo's energy.
2. Of 862 shadow-fleet tankers that have carried Russian oil since 2023, 583 (68%) are sanctioned by at least one Western government.
3. Hormuz flows fell from about 20 million b/d before the 2026 war to an average of 2.7 million from March to May.

##### The journey

1. 1 **Terminal**Shore pumps fill about 17 tanks
2. 2 **Inerting**Exhaust gas keeps oxygen too low
3. 3 **Voyage**Through Hormuz, Malacca, Suez or the Cape
4. 4 **Discharge**Steam pumps push the oil ashore
5. 5 **Last mile**Barge, rail car, road tanker or jerrycan
 Covered in [Moving energy: wires, pipes and shipsEnergy](https://www.materialinsights.org/learn/energy/moving-energy/)

##### Go deeper pick a tab to open it in full

## Other sections

- [Overview](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_tankers/overview/index.md)
- [Correlation](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_tankers/correlation/index.md)
- [How it works](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_tankers/explain/index.md)
- [Efficiency and losses](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_tankers/efficiency/index.md)
- [Technology advances](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_tankers/advances/index.md)
- [Value chain](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_tankers/valuechain/index.md)
- [Geopolitics and regulation](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_tankers/geopolitics/index.md)
- [Unit economics](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_tankers/economics/index.md)
- [Impact on the biosphere](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_tankers/biosphere/index.md)
- [Relationships](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_tankers/links/index.md)