An Aframax ship is an
tanker with a
deadweight tonnage of between 80,000 and 120,000 dwt, and carries between 70,000 and 100,000
metric tonnes of
crude oil. This makes them smaller than
VLCC or
ULCC tankers. They are used primarily in regions which, unlike most
OPEC countries, do not operate
harbors large enough or have offshore
oil terminals to allow the larger crude carrier ships to operate. The name
Aframax does not refer to
Africa, but rather to the
Average Freight Rate Assessment system, created by
Shell Oil in 1954 to standardize contract terms. The Aframax is the largest size tanker assessed by the system.
Aframax ships are crude carriers; that is, they transport crude oil, and are sometimes called 'dirty' tankers. If a ship of this size is used to transport refined products such as gasoline, jet fuel or methane, it will have coated cargo compartments to reduce contamination, and is designated an 'LR2 tanker.'
From Imarex - a maritime derivatives market - the average dimensions of an Aframax ship are as follows:
- Length: 243.2 m
- Breadth: 41.6 m
- Draft: 14.1 m
- Barrel Intake: 690,000 bbl
- Speed: 14.7 knots
Bear in mind that these are average figures.
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