Benefits Of NewPort Tank Containers
A tank container is a large stainless steel pressure vessel held within a 20-foot ISO frame that is used for the transportation and storage of bulk liquids. The 20-foot ISO frame ensures that tank containers can be transported using most modern inter-modal transportation options, including container ships, trucks and rail. The tank container provides a safe, reliable and cost-effective way to transport bulk liquids to most locations around the globe.
Tanks verse Drums
A 20 ft. container can hold up to 66% more product than 72 drums packed inside a 20 ft container box.
In addition to lower costs, a fair comparison of tank containers and drums must include volumetric efficiency, labor costs of handling drums, product-clingage loss, drum cleaning, resale revenue and disposal costs. Environmental considerations include a greater risk (and associated costs) of product spillage and leakage from drums and the environmental impact of empty drum disposal. Such comparisons demonstrate that tank containers are a more cost-effective and environmentally friendly way to ship bulk-liquid products.
Environmental Efficiency
The tank container is a recyclable resource, which can be used over and over again.
Greater Capacity
Tank containers can carry a far greater quantity of liquid for the equivalent shipping space and cost compared to an ISO container filled with drums. A tank container, with a capacity of 26,000 litres or more, can transport the equivalent of 128 205-litre (55 US gallons) drums in the same space. It would require 1.6 dry box container loads at effectively twice the shipping cost to transport this number of drums.
Added to this is the cost of purchasing standard drums, at around $20 each or $2,560 in total, and the costs of equipment and labour to handle, store, fill and individually mark each one. Tanks offer a more economic alternative.
Economical Design
Think of a tank container as a large but technically superior drum, within its own protective frame and with provision for lifting and stacking. The resulting ease and speed of loading and discharging is beneficial to both shippers and their customers.
Receiving just two tank container loads each day eliminates the handling and storage of up to 260 drums - difficult when the drums are new, but even more costly and inefficient when the drums are empty and contaminated.
Ease of Maintenance
Tank containers have the added benefit of stainless-steel cleanliness and strength, pressurisation and integral heating systems. GE SeaCo tank containers are available from stock and supplied with independent authority test certification and cleanliness certificates.
Tank containers provide benefits of efficiency, economy, quality and safety over a container load of drums
Tanks vs. Flexi Tanks
A flexitank is essentially a large plastic bag, fitted with a loading and discharge valve. Prior to loading, the flexi-tank bag is laid out into a box container. Unlike the tank container, which is re-used repeatedly, the flexi-tank is designed for one trip. The empty contaminated bag must be disposed in an approved waste facility. Certain materials can be incinerated and others might be suitable for shredding in preparation for re-cycling.
It has been reported that when fully laden the weight of the 24,000 litre bag causes the side wall of the box container to distort outwards beyond ISO. The side wall is designed to withstand a certain pay-load for static cargo. The flexi-tank load is liquid and the laden bag effectively forms the shape of the box. Cargo surge during movement and transport of the box results in potentially excessive side and end wall loads and potential instability during trucking and lifting.
Currently containers are tested and approved by issue of a safety certificate (CSC), however flexi-tanks are tested independently of the container. At present there are no regulations forcing manufactures to test the integrated package of bag and box, although trade associations have developed their own test programmes