Shuttle tanker 101
Shuttle tankers are specialized ships built to transport crude oil and condensates from offshore oil field installations to onshore terminals and refineries and are often referred to as ‘floating pipelines’. 

Highly trained crews and advanced onboard technology, including dynamic positioning and offshore loading systems, ensure the safe and reliable offloading of oil from offshore installations in both deepwater and harsh weather.

Shuttle tankers can be either purpose-built or converted from existing conventional oil tankers.

Key features: 

• Dynamic Positioning (DP), which monitor wind, currents, swells and tide changes to allow the vessel to position itself near an offshore installation and remain in position, without anchoring, when connected to offshore installations or a loading system, even in harsh weather
• Variable pitch propellers and lateral thrusters, which control the positioning of the vessel as determined by the DP
• Bow Loading System, which allows for the transfer of oil from a variety of fixed or floating offshore installations, even in extreme weather conditions
• Higher cargo pumping capability
• Reinforced hull design for fatigue prevention

Watch: An FPSO and shuttle tanker at work

Watch: Teekay's Amundsen Class ships, the most sophisticated and eco-friendly shuttle tankers ever built

Shuttle tanker advantage
Shuttle tankers use DP to remain in position rather than anchoring, making them ideal for areas with subsea equipment or in deepwater.

Also, unlike pipelines, shuttle tankers offer destination flexibility and can transport oil from offshore installations to numerous discharge locations.

About Teekay Offshore's shuttle tanker fleet

• World’s largest shuttle tanker fleet with Aframax and Suezmax-size shuttle tankers
• Operating in Australia, market leader in the North Sea and expanding operations in Brazil
• Vessels operating under long-term, fixed-rate contracts
• Fleet transports approximately 1,000,000 barrels per day
• Customers include: Chevron, Petrobras, Statoil, Total