A medium-sized tanker with a deadweight tonnage between 80,000 and 120,000 DWT, named after the Average Freight Rate Assessment (AFRA) system. Aframax vessels are versatile and can access a wide range of ports and terminals worldwide.
Category: Ship Types & Classification
On The Maritime
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In the Glossary
Aframax
A crude and product tanker class named for the Average Freight Rate Assessment scale, sized for regional and medium-haul trades.
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More in Ship Types & Classification
Bulk CarrierA merchant vessel designed to transport unpackaged bulk cargo such as grain, coal, ore, and cement in its cargo holds.Cable LayerA specialised vessel designed to lay submarine cables on the seabed, including telecommunications cables and power cables for offshore wind farms.CapesizeA large dry bulk carrier, typically between 100,000 and 200,000 DWT, too large to transit the Suez or Panama Canals and therefore routed around the Cape of Good Hope or Cape Horn.Car CarrierA specialised Ro-Ro vessel, also known as a Pure Car Carrier (PCC) or Pure Car and Truck Carrier (PCTC), designed to transport automobiles and light vehicles.Chemical TankerA specialised tanker built to transport liquid chemicals in bulk, fitted with coated or stainless-steel cargo tanks and sophisticated cargo-handling systems.Container ShipA cargo vessel designed exclusively to carry intermodal containers in a cellular structure, ranging from small feeder ships of a few hundred TEU to ultra-large container vessels exceeding 24,000 TEU.
Back to DictionaryEntry updated May 2026