A process of fluid catalytic cracking using a reactor for production of middle distillates of low aromaticity below 5 wt.% of C 10 /C 11 aromatics from a feed comprising heavy hydrocarbons, the process comprising: contacting the feed with a cracking catalyst for a time of at least 30 seconds, performing the catalytic cracking at a reaction temperature in the range of from 500°C to 580°C, and performing the catalytic cracking at a catalyst/oil mass ratio in the range of from 8 to 15; wherein the process uses a dense-bed reactor; wherein the catalyst is formulated with materials that possess basic characteristics, or low protic acidity, chosen from the group consisting of hydroxides and oxides of transition metals, mixed derivatives of hydroxides or oxides, cationic and anionic clays, phosphates, hydroxyphosphates and silica-alumina phosphates, doped or treated thermally and/or chemically; wherein materials that possess basic characteristics are such that, when measured by temperature programmed CO 2 desorption monitored by mass spectrometry, they evolve at least 50 micromoles of CO 2 /g of catalyst when samples are pre-heated in-situ at 5°C/min up to 600°C under helium flow and kept at this temperature for an hour; then cooled down to room temperature; then CO 2 flow is admitted to the chamber to allow adsorption for another hour; and then the CO 2 flow is interrupted and a helium flow is used in order to eliminate the CO 2 physically adsorbed, whilst the temperature is raised up to 450°C at a heating-up rate of 20°C/min whilst recording desorption of the chemisorbed CO 2; wherein materials that possess low protic acidity are such that their Bronsted acidity is no more than 50 micromoles of propylene per gram of catalyst, when determined by using temperature-programmed desorption of n-propylamine in a TPD/TPR 2900 Micromeritics instrument coupled with a mass spectrometer, according to the method described by O. Kresnawahjuesa et al in Catal. Letters 82 155, after being pre-treated under 100% steam flow at 788°C for 5 hours in a fixed bed steamer; and wherein the cracking catalyst is of low activity, such that the catalyst would achieve a conversion of the fluid catalytic cracking process feed of at most 40% with a catalyst/oil ratio of about 10, a reaction temperature of 540°C and feed-catalyst contact time of less than 10 seconds. contacting the feed with a cracking catalyst for a time of at least 30 seconds, performing the catalytic cracking at a reaction temperature in the range of from 500°C to 580°C, and performing the catalytic cracking at a catalyst/oil mass ratio in the range of from 8 to 15; wherein the process uses a dense-bed reactor; wherein the catalyst is formulated with materials that possess basic characteristics, or low protic acidity, chosen from the group consisting of hydroxides and oxides of transition metals, mixed derivatives of hydroxides or oxides, cationic and anionic clays, phosphates, hydroxyphosphates and silica-alumina phosphates, doped or treated thermally and/or chemically; wherein materials that possess basic characteristics are such that, when measured by temperature programmed CO 2 desorption monitored by mass spectrometry, they evolve at least 50 micromoles of CO 2 /g of catalyst when samples are pre-heated in-situ at 5°C/min up to 600°C under helium flow and kept at this temperature for an hour; then cooled down to room temperature; then CO 2 flow is admitted to the chamber to allow adsorption for another hour; and then the CO 2 flow is interrupted and a helium flow is used in order to eliminate the CO 2 physically adsorbed, whilst the temperature is raised up to 450°C at a heating-up rate of 20°C/min whilst recording desorption of the chemisorbed CO 2; wherein materials that possess low protic acidity are such that their Bronsted acidity is no more than 50 micromoles of propylene per gram of catalyst, when determined by using temperature-programmed desorption of n-propylamine in a TPD/TPR 2900 Micromeritics instrument coupled with a mass spectrometer, according to the method described by O. Kresnawahjuesa et al in Catal. Letters 82 155, after being pre-treated under 100% steam flow at 788°C for 5 hours in a fixed bed steamer; and wherein the cracking catalyst is of low activity, such that the catalyst would achieve a conversion of the fluid catalytic cracking process feed of at most 40% with a catalyst/oil ratio of about 10, a reaction temperature of 540°C and feed-catalyst contact time of less than 10 seconds.