Originally built in 1963, the Petersburg was one in a fleet of five tankers fitted with an offshore petroleum discharge system.
An Offshore Petroleum Distribution System (OPDS) provides a semipermanent, all-weather facility for bulk transfer of petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) directly from an offshore tanker to a beach termination unit (BTU) located immediately inland from the high-water mark. POL then is either transported inland or stored in the beach support area.
Major OPDS components are: the OPDS tanker with booster pumps and spread mooring winches, a recoverable single-anchor leg mooring (SALM) to accommodate four tankers up to 70,000 DWT, ship to SALM hose lines, up to four miles of six-inch (internal diameter) conduit for pumping to the beach, and two BTUs to interface with the shore-side systems. The Petersburg also contains stowage cradles for five OPDS utility boats (OUBs) and a 59 LT capacity crane to load/offload the OUBs.
| Year Built | 1963 |
| Builder | Bethlehem Steel, Sparrows Point MD. |
| General Type | Tanker |
| Length | 736.3 feet |
| Beam | 102.00 feet |
| Net Tons | 18,685 tons |
| Gross Tons | 27,469 tons |
| Cargo Capacity | 174,900 barrels |
| Propulsion |
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| Propeller | 5 blades. 22' 6" Diameter |
| Speed (loaded) | 14 KTS @ 100 RPM |
| Crew (during operations) |
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