Every day, thousands of tons of bulk goods are transported around the world. With this type of cargo, countless commodities are moved day after day until they reach your table. In this article, you will find an explanation of what bulk liquid transportation is and what it consists of, as well as its general characteristics.
Cargo is mainly classified into two types: general cargo and bulk cargo. In general cargo, the goods are moved in containers or packaging (TEU containers, sacks, pallets, etc.), and the load must be counted in units. Bulk cargo is cargo transported in large quantities without packaging or packing, where the means of transport itself acts as a container. In addition, volume or mass measurements are used to quantify the load in these cases.
There are many types of bulk cargo, but, in general, a distinction is usually made between solid bulk cargo and liquid bulk cargo. Each type of package will require a specific mode of transport and a different method of handling.
Liquid bulk cargo is a free-flowing matter, usually loaded and unloaded from the ship using pipelines and pumping stations. Unlike solid bulk cargo, this type of bulk cargo is transported in tanks or tanks specifically designed to hold liquid materials.
Among this type of goods, we can find:
- Chemical products.
- Liquid foodstuffs, such as vegetable oil.
- Petroleum and natural gas, as well as their derivatives.
Gas, oil, and its derivatives, such as liquefied gas, are usually moved by sea. As liquid cargoes, they must be transported in specially designed vessels. These vessels are in charge of transporting the various liquid bulk cargoes in their tanks or reservoirs under solid security measures.
There are different containers to transport liquids: ISO containers, flexitanks, drums and barrels, and intermediate bulk containers.
Bulk liquid transportation uses a standard stainless steel tank truck that is generally used to transport petroleum products and dairy products and transport juices and other edible fruits. It is ideal for transporting hazardous and non-hazardous materials, and the tank itself can be used on road, rail, or ship. Tanks that edible transport liquids have a special lining prevent the liquid from coming into contact with the stainless steel container.
Tank containers are safe and reliable and prove to be a cost-effective means of transporting bulk liquids worldwide. Therefore, the container design, testing, and approval process are applied, considering that the tank must be an efficient, economic, and safe means of transport for a wide range of liquid products.
A bulk liquid tank is made of stainless steel or aluminum and can be insulated or uninsulated. It can consist of a single compartment or be divided into two or four rooms to transport different products simultaneously. There are also special trailers for food products such as fruit juice, vegetable oil, and food ingredients.
There is a dome at the top of the tank, which opens at the time of loading. Therefore, it is essential, at that moment, to make sure that nothing but a hose and the liquid product passes through the dome.
