Record term rates on offer for aframax tankers may be driving a recent return by owners to shipyards for newbuildings.
French broker BRS Group says the smaller crude tanker size has topped 2008 peaks in the period market this year, with one-year fixes at above $50,000 per day.
Clarksons counts 100 aframax/LR2s now on order, against just 14 VLCCs and 23 suezmaxes.
