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Container transportation has been a go-to logistics solution for many years. Cargo owners value containers for their undeniable advantages of safety and excellent suitability for optimizing resources used during multimodal transportation.
Containerization continues to gain global popularity. The range of cargo types that can be delivered “in boxes” has been wide for some time, and more product groups move via container flows every year. Understanding the potential of this logistics solution, international transport and logistics provider AsstrA is actively developing container transportation offerings. To understand just how dynamic the cargo containerization market is, simply compare container traffic volume from 2018 with that of 2020. AsstrA’s indicators have increased 6 times during this time.
Cargo transportation in flexitanks is quickly gaining popularity with AsstrA customers. Oleg Grebenko, Deputy Operations Director for Specialized Transport at AsstrA, explains more about the use of flexitanks.
Tell us what a flexitank is.
Oleg Grebenko
This is an elastic tank liner with a volume of 14 to 26 thousand liters. It is made of high-strength polymer materials and is used for the safe storage and transportation via cars, railway carriages, and ships. When transporting viscous liquids, heating or cooling is available to meet temperature regime requirements. It is a single-use container that must be disposed of after use. The flexitanks in service at AsstrA are certified by the Container Owners Association (COA).
Describe the key features of flexitank transportation.
Technologically, the solution is based on the use of a special polymer package – aka the flexitank – for transporting non-dangerous liquid cargo. The unfilled flexitank is placed in a container where the load is pumped in. The procedure is easy and quick. A team of three people usually manages to prepare the container and install the flexitank in 20-30 minutes, and it takes from half an hour to an hour to fill the container.
What is the advantage of this type of transportation?
Ease of operation. Also, an undeniable advantage is the competitive cost of using flexitanks compared to tank containers or tank cars. Traditional containers require regular washing and return, while the disposal of flexitanks removes the need to deal with an empty container. These advantages result in lower financial and time costs when building logistics chains.
Describe the product groups that are suitable for delivery in flexitanks.
Flexitanks are used to transport fats of both vegetable and animal origin. The fact that the containers are disposable makes them convenient to use for various food products like juices, wine materials, molasses, and various food dyes and additives. Flexitanks are also used for the transportation of non-hazardous chemical goods such as household chemicals or mineral oils. There are also special flexitanks for the transportation and storage of oil and petroleum products.
Evaluate the popularity of transportation using this type of container.
AsstrA began providing customized flexitanks for customers in 2020. In the short time since then, the company's experts have already managed to organize suppliers and import kits and has successfully sent and received multiple liquid cargo shipments. For example, the last project completed involved 138 containers of soybean oil exported from Russia to China. The use of flexitanks is growing in popularity among shippers, so AsstrA is monitoring market needs and promptly launching offerings to meet them. Soon we plan to execute our first shipment of liquid cargo in flexitanks for automobile semi-trailers.
