What is an ISO Tank Container?
While tank containers are well known for transporting liquid products, ISO tank containers are manufactured according to ISO standards (International Organization for Standardization) and are designed to transport bulk liquids & Cryogenic gases (hazardous and non-hazardous).
These containers are made of stainless steel and are surrounded by various types of protective coverings. Depending on the type of cargo, different skins can be used. The containers have manholes at the top and have at least one valve and another valve at the bottom. They are shaped like cylinders. As the ISO tanks are built according to ISO standards, the frames in which they are located are about 6 meters long, 2.4 meters wide and 2.4 to 2.5 meters high, with different sizes and types, and can hold between 21,000 and 40,000 liters of liquid.
The following are the types of liquids that can be transported in ISO tank containers:
1. Molasses
2. milk and other dairy products
3. alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages
4. Liquefied sugars
5. hydrogen peroxide
6. Sulfuric/nitric acid
7. chemicals/solvents
8. liquid foods
9. heating oil/vegetable oil
10. gasoline/diesel/liquefied petroleum gas (LPG)
11. liquid resins
12.Cryogenic gases & industrial gases
The following are some of the advantages of ISO tank containers:
1. ISO tank containers are a reliable, cost-effective (depending on the product being transported) and absolutely safe means of transporting bulk liquids.
2. ISO tanks are designed to meet specific criteria based on the substances they carry.
3. For these reasons, ISO tanks are extremely reliable and can withstand extreme stress and damage. 4.
4. ISO tanks are extremely unlikely to leak and require no additional cargo packaging materials. 5.
5. ISO tanks maintain specific temperatures for temperature sensitive cargoes and can be transported by land or sea.
Flexitanks vs. ISO Tank Containers for Bulk Liquid Transportation:
Since ISO Tank Containers are often compared to Containerized Liquid Bags (CFBs), I believe that this comparison can be applied depending on the type of product as well as the place of shipment/destination. Both Flexitanks and Tank Containers are used to transport bulk liquids. Depending on what you are shipping and the origin/destination, one may be better than the other.
Bulk liquid transportation is an important part of the freight transportation industry. Depending on the type of product being transported, the origin of the product and the destination of the shipment, the most reliable and economical method of transporting bulk liquids may not be obvious.
While both ISO tank containers and Flexitanks are used to efficiently transport bulk liquids, there are some distinct differences between the two options. Flexitanks are cost-effective when the product is not hazardous, depending on the origin/destination. Because of the high cost of repositioning tank containers back to the origin of the cargo when there is no bi-directional business at the origin/destination, these tank containers need to be repositioned back to their origin or wherever the tank container supplier needs them. This therefore increases the cost of sea transportation. In such cases, Flexitanks can play a vital role in maintaining the freight transportation advantage over tank containers.