Question

Why tankers are never filled up to the brim

Answer 1

3When a moving oil tanker suddenly stops, the oil inside the tanker continues to be in the state of motion due to inertia of motion. As a result it splashes in the forward direction. Similarly, when a stationary tanker suddenly sets into motion, the oil inside the tanker splashes in the backward direction. If no space is left at the top of the oil, it will overflow. Therefore, to prevent any overflow of the oil due to sudden start or stop of the tanker, some space is left vacant at the top while filling the tanker.