A CENTURY OF TANKERS

The story of the tanker - from humble beginnings in the days of sail to modern leviathans, each capable of carrying half a million tonnes of oil - is one dominated by sheer scale. The modern industrialised world cannot function without the cargoes of crude oil, refined petroleum products, petrochemicals, liquefied gases and other bulk liquids these tankers carry. The oil fuels economies, provides power for businesses and homes and keeps transport - from cars to airplanes - on the move. "A Century of Tankers" describes the growth of the tanker industry set against the background of the rapidly evolving oil industry and the political and economic events which have shaped its progress since the first American oil boom in the early 1860s. On its long voyage the tanker has generated a series of contrasting images.