TT Club, in collaboration with the Container Owners Association (COA), has released a new Stop Loss publication regarding the use of flexitanks for transporting bulk liquid cargoes.
The publication, titled Flexitanks in the Supply Chain – Defining Safe Operations, focuses on the use of flexitanks for transporting bulk liquid cargoes, aiming to identify associated risks, highlight best practices, and provide practical guidance for stakeholders involved in the procurement, fitting, packing, unpacking, and handling of cargoes in flexitanks.
Additionally, it highlights challenges posed by multi-modal transport, which demands awareness and expertise at intermodal terminals to handle flexitank operations effectively.
What is a flexitank?
In essence a flexitank is a large single use bladder with valves designed to fit inside a general purpose freight container. The flexitank operates as part of a system which includes the container, flexitank, its fittings and restraining system. While there are potential advantages, the use of flexitanks as a form of packaging to contain and transport liquids does introduce additional considerations and risks at various stages of the supply chain..
Risk mitigation
The guide also addresses specific risks related to different types of liquids transported in flexitanks, such as fruit juices, molasses, edible oils, and pharmaceuticals. Each commodity has unique considerations regarding the materials used for the flexitank, valve configurations, and potential leakage issues. According to the publication, essentials of risk mitigation include:
Mike Yarwood, TT’s Managing Director of Loss Prevention, emphasized the increasing popularity of flexitanks among shippers for their benefits in transporting bulk liquids. The global demand for flexitanks is rising, making the publication of these safety guidelines timely to ensure the integrity of the shipping process. Flexitanks, which are large single-use bladders designed to fit inside standard freight containers, require careful consideration of the entire system, including the container, fittings, and restraining equipment.
As informed, the publication is intended to be used alongside the IMO/ILO/UNECE Code of Practice for Packing Cargo Transport Units (CTU Code) and the COA’s Flexitank Code of Practice.
To remind, earlier this month, the International Union of Marine Insurance (IUMI) also published a comprehensive best practice guide for the safe use of flexitanks for the transport of liquid cargoes.
