With the discovery of a major oil deposit on the North Slope of Alaska in 1968, extensive investigations were carried out to determine the feasibility of transporting the oil by icebreaking tankers to markets on the East and West Coasts. Because of the economic necessity to produce this oil on a year-round basis, the efforts were directed toward the design of a self-sufficient Arctic vessel able to cope with the ice conditions without assistance from icebreakers. Some of the major features of such a tanker are discussed and compared with similar features of standard vessels operating in other areas.