Vegetable Oil Tanker Charter
Vegetable oil tankers carry food-grade liquids, so tank cleanliness and the previous cargo matter as much as the size of the ship.
What they carry
Palm oil, sunflower oil, soybean oil, rapeseed oil and similar edible oils, in coated or stainless steel tanks, with heating where the oil needs it.
What ship operators ask for
The exact oil, the quantity, whether it is a full or part cargo, the ports, the laycan and any limits on the ship's earlier cargoes.
How it is chartered
Usually a voyage charter for a full cargo or a parcel. For ships that also carry chemicals see chemical tankers.
Food-grade requirements
Vegetable oils are food, so the tanks must be clean and suitable: stainless steel or a lining approved for food. Buyers and trade bodies limit which cargoes the ship may have carried before, and the ship operator will tell you the last cargoes of the tanks. An inspector checks tank cleanliness before loading, and a failed inspection can delay the voyage.
Heating and trades
Some oils, palm oil above all, become solid in the cold, so the tanks have heating coils that keep the temperature in the range for pumping. Main flows go from Indonesia and Malaysia (palm oil) to India, China and Europe, from South America (soybean oil) to Asia, and from the Black Sea (sunflower oil) to the Mediterranean, Asia and Africa. Ships range from about 3,000 to 20,000 DWT.
Search vegetable oil tankers
Shipfixing connects charterers and ship operators. We scan for suitable ships. Voyage requests for ships below 10,000 DWT need no signup and no membership.
Related guides
More in vessels
Shipfixing is a digital platform. We are not a ship broker, ship agent or carrier, and we are not a party to any charter.