Decal celebrating the loading of the 14,000 tanker at the Valdez Marine Terminal. That vessel was the ARCO M/V Juneau, and it was on December 31, 1995.
On August 1, 1977, ARCO M/V Juneau was loaded with 843.000 barrels of Alaska crude oil, the very first oil delivered by TAPS, and headed for Cherry Point, WA.
The 42 gallon standard barrel was officially adopted for shipping crude oil in 1872 but goes back much further. It was already the standard for shipping wine, whale oil, molasses, eel, etc., on sailing ships by 1700.
A barrel of crude oil produces about 45 to 48 gallons of products (due to refinery gain). About half becomes gasoline, then diesel fuel, heating oil, jet fuel, natural gas liquids, and asphalts, lubricants, and other products, the primary feed stocks for plastics, polyurethanes, various medical goods, etc.
December 31, 1995 [JEF]
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