• 16 parts
  • Checked September 2026

Parts of a Tanker

A road tanker with its tank cut open, then an oil tanker ship with its hull opened.

Parts of a Tanker

Name Date

Tap any part to read, rename or leave it out

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
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Write the name of each numbered part.Answer key

  1. Shell
  2. Manhole cover
  3. Vent
  4. Bulkhead
  5. Baffles
  6. Discharge valve
  7. Placard
  8. Landing gear
  9. Cargo tanks
  10. Double hull
  11. Pump room
  12. Engine room
  13. Manifold
  14. Bridge
  15. Funnel
  16. Bulbous bow

Drawn for this site on 2026-09-30 from plain geometry. Licence: own work.

Each numbered ring is a button. Use the arrow keys to move between them and Enter to choose. Names are read out in Study, and once a part is answered.

Next step Next: dry cargo, the parts of a shipping container

All 16 parts on the diagram

Show the list

Road tanker 8

  1. Shell A driver checks the tank's shell for dents and leaks. Done before loading, unloading or driving.
  2. Manhole cover The covers have gaskets and must close correctly. A tank vehicle is never driven with a manhole cover open.
  3. Vent Keeps the tank from bursting or caving in. Vents work as it is loaded, unloaded, heated or cooled. They must be kept clear.
  4. Bulkhead Bulkheads are liquid-tight. They divide one tank into several smaller tanks.
  5. Baffles The holes let the liquid flow through slowly. That controls its surge forward and backward. Sideways surge can still happen.
  6. Discharge valve The load leaves through outlets, each closed by a valve. The outlets must be able to close by themselves in an emergency. The federal rule calls the valve an outlet stop valve.
  7. Placard Placards warn others of hazardous materials. A placarded vehicle carries at least four: front, rear and both sides.
  8. Landing gear The legs are lowered before the trailer is uncoupled. They are raised again for the road.

Tanker ship 8

  1. Cargo tanks The oil is carried in tanks inside the hull, not in barrels.
  2. Double hull The inner hull is a second barrier if the outer is damaged. The space between the two is sometimes used for ballast water.
  3. Pump room The pump room houses the pumps connected to the tanker's cargo lines.
  4. Engine room Kept well away from the cargo and its fumes, to avoid fire. Designers have done this from the first tankers.
  5. Manifold Hoses or loading arms join here. Cargo flows on and off the tanker through them.
  6. Bridge The crew steer the ship and set its speed from here. They keep a lookout.
  7. Funnel It carries the engine's exhaust up clear of the deck.
  8. Bulbous bow The bulb changes the way water flows round the hull. That cuts drag and saves fuel.

How this list was compiled: Every name checked on 2026-09-30 against two independent sources. Road tanker: (1) Florida Commercial Driver License Manual (the AAMVA model manual, July 2022), Section 8 Tank Vehicles, Section 6 and Section 9, https://www.flhsmv.gov/pdf/handbooks/englishcdlhandbook.pdf (tank shell, manhole covers, vents, intake, discharge and cut-off valves, bulkheads, baffles, landing gear, placards); (2) US federal cargo tank rules read at Cornell LII: 49 CFR 178.320 definitions (shell, bulkhead, baffle, outlet, stop valve), 178.345-5 manhole assemblies, 178.345-10 pressure relief, 178.345-11 tank outlets, and 172.504 placarding, https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/49/178.320; with Wikipedia, Tank truck and Semi-trailer (compartments, baffles, landing gear). Ship: (3) International Maritime Organization, Oil tankers and Construction requirements for oil tankers: double hulls, https://www.imo.org/en/ourwork/safety/pages/oiltankers.aspx (cargo tanks, double hull, ballast tanks); (4) Marine Insight, Different Parts of a Ship Explained and What are Tanker Ships?, https://www.marineinsight.com/guidelines/parts-of-a-ship/ (navigation bridge, funnel, bulbous bow, engine room, manifold, pump room, cargo tanks); (5) Wikipedia, text only: Oil tanker (cargo tanks, pumproom, cargo manifold, engine room, double hull), Double hull, Bridge (nautical), Funnel (ship) and Bulbous bow. Licence: own work

The drawing: Drawn for this site on 2026-09-30 from plain geometry; no maker's vehicle or ship, nothing traced. Licence: own work

How it works

A tanker can be a truck or a ship, so this page draws both. The road tanker comes first, with a window cut in the tank; the second view opens the hull of an oil tanker ship.

Read the full guide

Inside the tank

The shell is the round body of the tank. Bulkheads are solid walls that divide it into smaller tanks. Baffles are walls with holes: the liquid can pass, but its surge forward and backward is slowed. On top are the manhole covers and the vents; underneath, the discharge valves.

Inside the ship

The oil rides in a row of cargo tanks, wrapped in a double hull. Behind them are the pump room and the engine room. Hoses from the shore join the manifold on deck.

  • A tank with no baffles is called smooth bore. Milk is usually carried this way, because baffles would make the tank hard to clean.

Questions and answers

What are baffles in a tanker?

Walls inside the tank with holes for the liquid to flow through. They help control the surge of the liquid forward and backward when the truck speeds up or brakes. Sideways surge can still happen.

What is the difference between a bulkhead and a baffle?

A bulkhead is liquid-tight: it divides one tank into several smaller tanks. A baffle has holes, so the liquid passes through it, only more slowly.

Why do oil tankers have a double hull?

So that a second, inner hull still holds the cargo if the outer hull is damaged. International rules have required double hulls, or an approved alternative, on large new tankers since the 1990s.

What is the sign on the side of a tanker truck?

A placard. Placards warn others that the vehicle carries hazardous materials. A placarded vehicle has at least four: on the front, the rear and both sides.

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