Number of Oil Tankers by Country (2026)

The number of oil tankers measures how many oil tankers are registered under a country's flag. Unlike fleet statistics measured in deadweight tonnage, this indicator counts vessels rather than their capacity, making it useful for comparing oil tanker fleets by the number of ships they contain. The statistics are based on the UNCTADstat database. The dataset covers 196 countries and territories, and the table below lists 161 of them that record any oil tankers in the period; their combined oil tanker fleet stood at 12,599 ships in 2026.

Number of Oil Tankers by Country (2026) Map

Countries With the Most Oil Tankers in 2026

China recorded the most oil tankers in 2026 with 1,799 vessels. The Marshall Islands ranked second with 1,019, followed by Indonesia (883), Liberia (855), and Panama (785). Japan (663), Singapore (607), Russia (418), Hong Kong (344), and Malta (331) complete the top ten.

Number of Oil Tankers by Country (2026)

#
Country
Country (ships)
1
China
China CN
1114
2
Marshall Islands
Marshall Islands MH
976
3
Liberia
Liberia LR
848
4
Panama
Panama PA
774
5
Indonesia
Indonesia ID
706
6
Singapore
Singapore SG
694
7
Japan
Japan JP
657
8
Malta
Malta MT
410
9
Russia
Russia RU
408
10
Hong Kong
Hong Kong HK
396
11
Greece
Greece GR
335
12
Thailand
Thailand TH
258
13
Bahamas
Bahamas BS
225
14
South Korea
South Korea KR
224
15
Philippines
Philippines PH
210
16
Malaysia
Malaysia MY
152
17
Bangladesh
Bangladesh BD
147
18
India
India IN
137
19
Türkiye
Türkiye TR
127
20
Vietnam
Vietnam VN
126
21
Nigeria
Nigeria NG
109
22
Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone SL
107
23
Italy
Italy IT
103
24
Denmark
Denmark DK
102
25
Norway
Norway NO
95
26
Iran
Iran IR
85
27
Honduras
Honduras HN
82
28
Belize
Belize BZ
70
29
Isle of Man
Isle of Man IM
67
30
United States
United States US
67
31
Mongolia
Mongolia MN
66
32
Cyprus
Cyprus CY
58
33
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia SA
58
34
Togo
Togo TG
56
35
Cook Islands
Cook Islands CK
53
36
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Saint Kitts and Nevis KN
51
37
Tanzania
Tanzania TZ
49
38
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan AZ
43
39
Egypt
Egypt EG
41
40
Palau
Palau PW
38
41
Germany
Germany DE
36
42
Comoros
Comoros KM
34
43
Argentina
Argentina AR
33
44
Taiwan
Taiwan TW
33
45
Brazil
Brazil BR
31
46
Mexico
Mexico MX
31
47
North Korea
North Korea KP
30
48
Netherlands
Netherlands NL
29
49
France
France FR
28
50
Kuwait
Kuwait KW
28
51
Ecuador
Ecuador EC
27
52
Portugal
Portugal PT
27
53
Cameroon
Cameroon CM
25
54
Spain
Spain ES
24
55
Cayman Islands
Cayman Islands KY
23
56
Belgium
Belgium BE
21
57
Maldives
Maldives MV
20
58
Sweden
Sweden SE
20
59
Dominica
Dominica DM
19
60
Gibraltar
Gibraltar GI
19
61
Tuvalu
Tuvalu TV
19
62
Bermuda
Bermuda BM
18
63
Cambodia
Cambodia KH
18
64
Gabon
Gabon GA
18
65
United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates AE
18
66
Venezuela
Venezuela VE
17
67
Croatia
Croatia HR
16
68
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines VC
16
69
Canada
Canada CA
15
70
Ukraine
Ukraine UA
15
71
United Kingdom
United Kingdom GB
15
72
Chile
Chile CL
14
73
Colombia
Colombia CO
13
74
Kiribati
Kiribati KI
12
75
Libya
Libya LY
12
76
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka LK
12
77
Algeria
Algeria DZ
11
78
Eswatini
Eswatini SZ
9
79
Latvia
Latvia LV
9
80
Angola
Angola AO
8
81
Bulgaria
Bulgaria BG
8
82
Cuba
Cuba CU
8
83
Djibouti
Djibouti DJ
8
84
Peru
Peru PE
8
85
Turkmenistan
Turkmenistan TM
8
86
Australia
Australia AU
7
87
Equatorial Guinea
Equatorial Guinea GQ
7
88
Guyana
Guyana GY
7
89
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan KZ
7
90
Moldova
Moldova MD
7
91
Pakistan
Pakistan PK
7
92
Seychelles
Seychelles SC
7
93
South Africa
South Africa ZA
7
94
Poland
Poland PL
6
95
Romania
Romania RO
6
96
Iraq
Iraq IQ
5
97
Myanmar
Myanmar MM
5
98
Paraguay
Paraguay PY
5
99
Bahrain
Bahrain BH
4
100
Estonia
Estonia EE
4
101
Fiji
Fiji FJ
4
102
Finland
Finland FI
4
103
Israel
Israel IL
4
104
Kenya
Kenya KE
4
105
Mauritius
Mauritius MU
4
106
Micronesia
Micronesia FM
4
107
New Zealand
New Zealand NZ
4
108
Niue
Niue NU
4
109
Qatar
Qatar QA
4
110
Uruguay
Uruguay UY
4
111
Yemen
Yemen YE
4
112
Bolivia
Bolivia BO
3
113
Botswana
Botswana BW
3
114
Brunei
Brunei BN
3
115
Cape Verde
Cape Verde CV
3
116
Ghana
Ghana GH
3
117
Luxembourg
Luxembourg LU
3
118
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea PG
3
119
Samoa
Samoa WS
3
120
Suriname
Suriname SR
3
121
Antigua and Barbuda
Antigua and Barbuda AG
2
122
DR Congo
DR Congo CD
2
123
Ethiopia
Ethiopia ET
2
124
Iceland
Iceland IS
2
125
Ivory Coast
Ivory Coast CI
2
126
Lithuania
Lithuania LT
2
127
Madagascar
Madagascar MG
2
128
Morocco
Morocco MA
2
129
Sao Tome and Principe
Sao Tome and Principe ST
2
130
Vanuatu
Vanuatu VU
2
131
Albania
Albania AL
1
132
Congo
Congo CG
1
133
Curaçao
Curaçao CW
1
134
Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic DO
1
135
Eritrea
Eritrea ER
1
136
Faroe Islands
Faroe Islands FO
1
137
Guatemala
Guatemala GT
1
138
Ireland
Ireland IE
1
139
Jamaica
Jamaica JM
1
140
Jordan
Jordan JO
1
141
Lebanon
Lebanon LB
1
142
Lesotho
Lesotho LS
1
143
Nauru
Nauru NR
1
144
New Caledonia
New Caledonia NC
1
145
Nicaragua
Nicaragua NI
1
146
Senegal
Senegal SN
1
147
Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands SB
1
148
Tonga
Tonga TO
1
149
Tunisia
Tunisia TN
1
150
Zambia
Zambia ZM
1
151
Aruba
Aruba AW
0
152
Barbados
Barbados BB
0
153
Benin
Benin BJ
0
154
Czech Republic
Czech Republic CZ
0
155
Gambia
Gambia GM
0
156
Guinea
Guinea GN
0
157
Guinea-Bissau
Guinea-Bissau GW
0
158
Mozambique
Mozambique MZ
0
159
Oman
Oman OM
0
160
San Marino
San Marino SM
0
161
Syria
Syria SY
0

Oil tanker fleets are concentrated among a relatively small number of major national fleets and open registries. China alone accounts for about 14 percent of the tankers in the table, while the top five countries together account for about 42 percent. Among the 161 countries listed, 7 register more than 500 oil tankers, while 12 report a nil fleet for 2026.

Number of Oil Tankers Around the World

In Asia, China (1,799) records by far the largest number of oil tankers, ahead of Indonesia (883), Japan (663), and Singapore (607). Thailand (250), South Korea (217), and the Philippines (215) also register more than 200 vessels each.

In Europe, Russia (418) records the largest fleet by tanker count, followed by Malta (331) and Greece (256). Türkiye (137), Denmark (98), Norway (79), and Italy (71) follow, while Germany (29) and the United Kingdom (9) have relatively small fleets.

In the Americas, Panama (785) records the largest number of oil tankers, with the Bahamas (167) next and the United States (76) following. In Africa, Liberia (855) dominates, followed by Nigeria (142) and Egypt (42). In the Middle East, Iran (86) and Saudi Arabia (75) record the most, while Oman grew from none in 2021 to 35 in 2026.

In Oceania, the Marshall Islands (1,019) records the largest number of oil tankers through open-registry registration, followed by Palau (85) and the Cook Islands (40). Among open-registry economies, the Marshall Islands, Liberia, and Panama are the largest by tanker count.

Largest Changes in Number of Oil Tankers, 2021–2026

China recorded the largest increase between 2021 and 2026, rising from 1,114 to 1,799 oil tankers. Indonesia added 177 vessels, from 706 to 883, and Palau grew from 38 to 85 (up 47). The Marshall Islands added 43, Nigeria 33, and Oman grew from none to 35.

Singapore recorded the largest decline, from 694 to 607 oil tankers (down 87), followed by Malta (down 79) and Greece (down 79). The Bahamas declined by 58, and Hong Kong by 52.

Number of Oil Tankers by Country (2026)

#
Country
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025
2026
1
China
China
1114 1680 1784 1816 1786 1799
2
Marshall Islands
Marshall Islands
976 1025 1039 1024 961 1019
3
Liberia
Liberia
848 910 1037 1046 904 855
4
Panama
Panama
774 785 870 974 968 785
5
Indonesia
Indonesia
706 709 719 818 839 883
6
Singapore
Singapore
694 630 567 554 557 607
7
Japan
Japan
657 660 657 657 661 663
8
Malta
Malta
410 394 355 315 331 331
9
Russia
Russia
408 392 390 364 384 418
10
Hong Kong
Hong Kong
396 404 396 391 389 344
11
Greece
Greece
335 310 297 274 261 256
12
Thailand
Thailand
258 252 248 253 251 250
13
Bahamas
Bahamas
225 213 191 179 167 167
14
South Korea
South Korea
224 224 223 221 216 217
15
Philippines
Philippines
210 210 208 206 210 215
16
Malaysia
Malaysia
152 155 152 158 165 167
17
Bangladesh
Bangladesh
147 162 165 167 166 164
18
India
India
137 135 144 151 147 153
19
Türkiye
Türkiye
127 128 132 137 130 137
20
Vietnam
Vietnam
126 137 134 134 120 115
21
Nigeria
Nigeria
109 113 130 129 136 142
22
Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone
107 103 92 85 108 179
23
Italy
Italy
103 100 94 87 78 71
24
Denmark
Denmark
102 117 107 100 104 98
25
Norway
Norway
95 94 95 79 76 79
26
Iran
Iran
85 84 87 87 86 86
27
Honduras
Honduras
82 80 80 80 100 82
28
Belize
Belize
70 69 54 57 58 58
29
Isle of Man
Isle of Man
67 61 56 55 54 47
30
United States
United States
67 68 68 74 73 76
31
Mongolia
Mongolia
66 56 55 59 65 68
32
Cyprus
Cyprus
58 60 47 33 48 51
33
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
58 58 55 57 67 75
34
Togo
Togo
56 55 49 44 50 50
35
Cook Islands
Cook Islands
53 51 60 88 79 40
36
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Saint Kitts and Nevis
51 46 64 52 66 66
37
Tanzania
Tanzania
49 46 57 68 70 70
38
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan
43 44 44 47 46 46
39
Egypt
Egypt
41 41 41 43 42 42
40
Palau
Palau
38 45 52 79 87 85
41
Germany
Germany
36 32 30 29 28 29
42
Comoros
Comoros
34 40 40 37 50 93
43
Argentina
Argentina
33 33 32 31 31 30
44
Taiwan
Taiwan
33 34 34 33 32 32
45
Brazil
Brazil
31 28 28 28 28 30
46
Mexico
Mexico
31 32 32 32 33 33
47
North Korea
North Korea
30 31 32 32 32 34
48
Netherlands
Netherlands
29 28 28 28 27 25
49
France
France
28 25 24 24 22 22
50
Kuwait
Kuwait
28 29 28 28 28 28
51
Ecuador
Ecuador
27 28 26 25 26 27
52
Portugal
Portugal
27 28 29 34 48 56
53
Cameroon
Cameroon
25 35 46 59 43 128
54
Spain
Spain
24 22 21 19 18 19
55
Cayman Islands
Cayman Islands
23 20 20 20 24 24
56
Belgium
Belgium
21 23 19 14 8 8
57
Maldives
Maldives
20 20 20 19 23 24
58
Sweden
Sweden
20 19 18 17 18 20
59
Dominica
Dominica
19 14 10 9 9 9
60
Gibraltar
Gibraltar
19 17 16 13 11 11
61
Tuvalu
Tuvalu
19 21 16 15 15 15
62
Bermuda
Bermuda
18 15 8 4 1 1
63
Cambodia
Cambodia
18 18 17 17 17 17
64
Gabon
Gabon
18 21 29 70 59 11
65
United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates
18 16 16 16 15 17
66
Venezuela
Venezuela
17 17 16 16 15 15
67
Croatia
Croatia
16 14 13 11 11 11
68
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
16 15 18 15 14 14
69
Canada
Canada
15 15 15 15 16 16
70
Ukraine
Ukraine
15 15 14 13 13 13
71
United Kingdom
United Kingdom
15 11 11 10 9 9
72
Chile
Chile
14 14 14 12 13 13
73
Colombia
Colombia
13 13 14 15 15 15
74
Kiribati
Kiribati
12 12 14 11 11 10
75
Libya
Libya
12 12 13 9 8 8
76
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
12 13 11 11 11 13
77
Algeria
Algeria
11 14 14 14 14 14
78
Eswatini
Eswatini
- - - - 9 5
79
Latvia
Latvia
9 9 10 10 9 8
80
Angola
Angola
8 8 7 7 7 8
81
Bulgaria
Bulgaria
8 8 8 7 7 7
82
Cuba
Cuba
8 10 10 10 10 10
83
Djibouti
Djibouti
8 15 11 12 17 9
84
Peru
Peru
8 8 9 12 11 11
85
Turkmenistan
Turkmenistan
8 8 8 8 8 8
86
Australia
Australia
7 6 6 7 7 8
87
Equatorial Guinea
Equatorial Guinea
7 8 7 6 5 7
88
Guyana
Guyana
7 12 10 11 39 41
89
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan
7 7 8 13 13 13
90
Moldova
Moldova
7 7 5 4 4 4
91
Pakistan
Pakistan
7 7 9 9 9 7
92
Seychelles
Seychelles
7 7 6 6 6 6
93
South Africa
South Africa
7 7 7 7 7 7
94
Poland
Poland
6 6 6 6 6 6
95
Romania
Romania
6 6 7 7 7 7
96
Iraq
Iraq
5 6 6 7 7 7
97
Myanmar
Myanmar
5 5 5 5 5 5
98
Paraguay
Paraguay
5 5 5 5 6 6
99
Bahrain
Bahrain
4 3 3 3 3 3
100
Estonia
Estonia
4 3 3 3 3 3
101
Fiji
Fiji
4 4 4 3 3 3
102
Finland
Finland
4 5 4 4 4 4
103
Israel
Israel
4 4 4 3 3 3
104
Kenya
Kenya
4 4 4 3 3 3
105
Mauritius
Mauritius
4 5 4 4 3 3
106
Micronesia
Micronesia
4 3 3 3 2 2
107
New Zealand
New Zealand
4 6 4 3 3 3
108
Niue
Niue
4 4 5 3 3 4
109
Qatar
Qatar
4 3 2 2 2 7
110
Uruguay
Uruguay
4 4 3 3 2 2
111
Yemen
Yemen
4 1 1 1 1 1
112
Bolivia
Bolivia
3 2 2 0 3 2
113
Botswana
Botswana
- - - - - 3
114
Brunei
Brunei
3 3 2 2 2 2
115
Cape Verde
Cape Verde
3 3 2 2 3 1
116
Ghana
Ghana
3 3 3 3 3 3
117
Luxembourg
Luxembourg
3 3 4 4 4 4
118
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea
3 3 4 4 4 4
119
Samoa
Samoa
3 4 0 0 0 0
120
Suriname
Suriname
3 3 3 3 3 3
121
Antigua and Barbuda
Antigua and Barbuda
2 4 6 9 36 30
122
DR Congo
DR Congo
2 3 3 3 3 3
123
Ethiopia
Ethiopia
2 2 2 0 0 0
124
Iceland
Iceland
2 2 2 2 2 2
125
Ivory Coast
Ivory Coast
2 2 2 2 2 2
126
Lithuania
Lithuania
2 2 2 2 1 1
127
Madagascar
Madagascar
2 2 2 0 0 3
128
Morocco
Morocco
2 2 2 2 2 3
129
Sao Tome and Principe
Sao Tome and Principe
2 2 4 5 15 19
130
Vanuatu
Vanuatu
2 2 0 1 1 10
131
Albania
Albania
1 1 1 1 1 1
132
Congo
Congo
1 0 0 0 0 0
133
Curaçao
Curaçao
1 1 1 1 16 43
134
Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic
1 0 0 0 0 0
135
Eritrea
Eritrea
1 1 1 1 1 1
136
Faroe Islands
Faroe Islands
1 0 0 0 0 0
137
Guatemala
Guatemala
1 1 1 1 1 1
138
Ireland
Ireland
1 1 0 0 0 0
139
Jamaica
Jamaica
1 1 1 2 2 2
140
Jordan
Jordan
1 0 0 0 0 0
141
Lebanon
Lebanon
1 1 1 1 1 1
142
Lesotho
Lesotho
- - 1 1 1 2
143
Nauru
Nauru
1 0 0 0 0 0
144
New Caledonia
New Caledonia
1 0 0 0 0 0
145
Nicaragua
Nicaragua
1 1 1 1 1 2
146
Senegal
Senegal
1 1 1 1 3 3
147
Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands
1 1 0 0 0 0
148
Tonga
Tonga
1 0 0 0 0 7
149
Tunisia
Tunisia
1 1 1 1 1 1
150
Zambia
Zambia
1 1 0 0 0 0
151
Aruba
Aruba
0 0 0 1 1 18
152
Barbados
Barbados
0 0 5 8 103 51
153
Benin
Benin
0 0 0 0 0 19
154
Czech Republic
Czech Republic
- - - 0 0 1
155
Gambia
Gambia
0 0 0 0 17 58
156
Guinea
Guinea
0 0 0 0 21 45
157
Guinea-Bissau
Guinea-Bissau
0 0 0 3 14 11
158
Mozambique
Mozambique
0 0 0 0 0 12
159
Oman
Oman
0 0 0 0 0 35
160
San Marino
San Marino
- 0 0 2 9 9
161
Syria
Syria
0 0 1 1 0 0

Methodology

The statistics are based on the UNCTADstat database, indicator Number of ships (oil tankers), which counts the oil tankers registered under each country's flag. According to UNCTAD, the fleet registration statistics cover all commercial ships of 100 gross tons and above. The main comparison uses 2026 data where available, and the latest available year for countries without a 2026 observation. Countries with no oil tankers in any year of the period are excluded from the table. In the table, a zero reflects a nil fleet, while an empty cell means that no value was reported; the two are never mixed up in the calculations.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which country has the most oil tankers?

China recorded the most oil tankers in 2026 with 1,799 vessels, followed by the Marshall Islands (1,019) and Indonesia (883).

How many countries are included in the dataset?

The dataset covers 196 countries and territories, and the table lists the 161 countries that record any oil tankers in the period.

What does this indicator measure?

It counts the oil tankers registered under each country's flag; according to UNCTAD, the fleet registration statistics cover all commercial ships of 100 gross tons and above.

Which country has the fewest oil tankers?

Several countries recorded a single oil tanker in 2026, including Albania, Bermuda, Cape Verde, and Lithuania, while 12 countries recorded no oil tankers at all, including Ethiopia, Ireland, Jordan, Samoa, and Syria.

Why is the latest year 2026?

The number of ships indicator in UNCTAD data reports values as of the beginning of each year, and 2026 is the latest available reference point in the source data.

Data Disclaimer: Projected data (future years) are estimates based on mathematical models. Actual values may differ. Learn about our methodology →

Sources

(0) Comments

Please log in to leave a comment.

Log in