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So many misrepresentations in the references it is difficult to answer.Basically crude oil in tankers is not heated. If viscosity is too high for effective pumping  ,the most likely action is to add a low viscosity oil. This will be done at the crude source. A very simple distillation "topping plant", will separate light material from a crude to dilute the heavy crude. This was done at a few Venezuelan oil fields with notoriously high viscosity crude, don't know if they are now in production. For older tankers with boilers( not diesels) the fuel for the boiler is heated to improve spray from the burners. For anyone actually interested in tankers, Wiki has a reasonable summary under "oil tankers". As far as heating is concerned, it is not mentioned and the diagrams show no steam piping in the holds; The familiar old "difficult to prove a negative".

There are so many misrepresentations in the references it is difficult to answer. Basically, crude oil in tankers is not heated. If viscosity is too high for effective pumping, the most likely action is to add a low viscosity oil. This will be done at the crude source. 

A very simple distillation "topping plant", will separate light material from a crude to dilute the heavy crude. This was done at a few Venezuelan oil fields with notoriously high viscosity crude, but I don't know if they are now in production. 

For older tankers with boilers  (not diesels) the fuel for the boiler is heated to improve spray from the burners. For anyone actually interested in tankers, Wikipedia has a reasonable summary under "oil tankers". As far as heating is concerned, it is not mentioned and the diagrams show no steam piping in the holds; it is the familiar old "difficult to prove a negative".

So many misrepresentations in the references it is difficult to answer.Basically crude oil in tankers is not generally heated. If viscosity is too high for effective pumping ,the most likely action is to add a low viscosity oil. This will be done at the crude source. A very simple distillation "topping plant", will separate light material from a crude to dilute the heavy crude. This was done at a few Venezuelan oil fields with notoriously high viscosity crude, don't know if they are now in production. For older tankers with boilers( not diesels) the fuel for the boiler is heated to improve spray from the burners. For anyone actually interested in tankers, Wiki has a reasonable summary under "oil tankers". As far as heating is concerned, it is not mentioned and the diagrams show no steam piping in the holds; The familiar old "difficult to prove a negative".

So many misrepresentations in the references it is difficult to answer.Basically crude oil in tankers is not heated. If viscosity is too high for effective pumping ,the most likely action is to add a low viscosity oil. This will be done at the crude source. A very simple distillation "topping plant", will separate light material from a crude to dilute the heavy crude. This was done at a few Venezuelan oil fields with notoriously high viscosity crude, don't know if they are now in production. For older tankers with boilers( not diesels) the fuel for the boiler is heated to improve spray from the burners. For anyone actually interested in tankers, Wiki has a reasonable summary under "oil tankers". As far as heating is concerned, it is not mentioned and the diagrams show no steam piping in the holds; The familiar old "difficult to prove a negative".

So many misrepresentations in the references it is difficult to answer.Basically crude oil in tankers is not generally heated. If viscosity is too high for effective pumping ,the most likely action is to add a low viscosity oil. This will be done at the crude source. A very simple distillation "topping plant", will separate light material from a crude to dilute the heavy crude. This was done at a few Venezuelan oil fields with notoriously high viscosity crude, don't know if they are now in production. For older tankers with boilers( not diesels) the fuel for the boiler is heated to improve spray from the burners.

So many misrepresentations in the references it is difficult to answer.Basically crude oil in tankers is not generally heated. If viscosity is too high for effective pumping ,the most likely action is to add a low viscosity oil. This will be done at the crude source. A very simple distillation "topping plant", will separate light material from a crude to dilute the heavy crude. This was done at a few Venezuelan oil fields with notoriously high viscosity crude, don't know if they are now in production. For older tankers with boilers( not diesels) the fuel for the boiler is heated to improve spray from the burners. For anyone actually interested in tankers, Wiki has a reasonable summary under "oil tankers". As far as heating is concerned, it is not mentioned and the diagrams show no steam piping in the holds; The familiar old "difficult to prove a negative".