Aframax
A crude/product tanker of roughly 80,000–120,000 DWT, the largest size historically rated by the Average Freight Rate Assessment scale.
Aframax tankers carry about 80,000 to 120,000 DWT of crude or dirty products. The name derives from the Average Freight Rate Assessment (AFRA) tanker scale, of which this was a defined band.
Their size suits regional and medium-haul crude trades and ports that cannot take the largest tankers, making them a flexible and widely traded tanker class.
On TheMaritime
Also known as: aframax tanker.
Related terms
Very Large Crude CarrierVLCC
A crude oil tanker of roughly 200,000–320,000 DWT — the backbone of long-haul Middle East–to–Asia oil transport.
Suezmax
A crude tanker (about 120,000–200,000 DWT) sized to the maximum that can transit the Suez Canal fully laden.
Deadweight TonnageDWT
The total weight a ship can carry — cargo plus fuel, stores, crew and water — at her load line, in metric tonnes.
WorldscaleWS
A unified index of nominal tanker freight rates that lets the market quote any tanker voyage as a single percentage.
Plain-English reference definition — our own explanation of a standard shipping concept, not a licensed source or legal advice. See the full glossary or the broader maritime dictionary.
Last reviewed: June 2026.