When the last single-hulled very large crude carrier
(VLCC) was delivered in 1996, there were 376 in
service. In early 2013, there are only three. Only
243, however, were actually scrapped. Sixty were
converted into floating oil production and storage
facilities and 70 were converted into dry-bulk carriers.
Some of the older VLCCs are deployed as FPSOs
(Shipping Intelligence Weekly, 2013).