Maritime glossary
Suezmax
A tanker sized to the maximum that can transit the Suez Canal fully laden, around 120,000 to 200,000 DWT.
Definition
Suezmax describes a tanker built to the largest size that can pass the Suez Canal laden, roughly 120,000 to 200,000 DWT. The binding limit is the canal’s draught and beam envelope rather than length. Suezmaxes are a flexible mid-size crude class, working trades too long or too thin for a full VLCC, including West Africa, the Black Sea, and the North Sea.
How Vessel Hunter uses Suezmax
Size class is a core filter in Vessel Hunter. Narrow the tanker fleet to Suezmax tonnage and read straight through to the operator.
Related terms
- VLCCVery Large Crude Carrier
A crude oil tanker of roughly 200,000 to 320,000 DWT, the workhorse of long-haul crude trades.
- Aframax
A crude tanker of roughly 80,000 to 120,000 DWT, named after an old freight-rate scale.
- Oil Tanker
A tanker built to carry crude oil or refined petroleum products in bulk liquid form.
- Draught
The vertical distance from the waterline to the deepest point of the hull, the constraint that decides which ports a loaded vessel can enter.
The bigger picture
Suezmax is one piece of the commercial maritime picture Vessel Hunter pulls together for shipyards, suppliers, service providers, and port agents. Every vessel record bundles AIS, ownership, inspections, dry-dock history, casualty record, classification status, and a verified contact for the operator decision-maker behind the ship, so the team that reaches out first wins the work.
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