November/December 2019
Flexitanks
B ULK D ISTRIBUTOR
VTG takes first flexi steps
T
ank container operators have had a mixed relationship
with flexitanks.
One of the first big operators to offer the service was Stolt, but
after experiencing some reliability problems the operator exited the
business in 2012.
Of course, one of the pioneers of flexitank transport, UK-based
Braid Logistics, has for long had its own tank container fleet as well.
Hoyer continues to provide a flexitank service to customers, even
manufacturing its own units. Having already invested in a joint
venture in Malaysia in 2010, the production site near Kuala Lumpur
has been fully owned by Hoyer Group since 2014 operating under a
subsidiary name Powertex Asia Pacific. Hoyer’s own production
facility has more than 20 employees and fabricates 700-800
flexitanks of various sizes per month.
At the same time, a number of tank container depots have entered
the business of properly fitting flexis into standard containers to
provide shippers with greater assurance that the carriage will meet
best practice standards.
So the tank industry will be interested in the latest move by
Hamburg-based operator VTG Tanktainer GmbH, part of VTG Group.
VTG is adding flexitanks to its range of facilities for carrying liquid
goods. Announcing the development the company cited the familiar
reasons that are usually put in favour of fitting flexitanks into
standard containers, ie, it enables non-hazardous bulk goods –
including oils, wines, fruit juices, biofuels and industrial chemicals not
classified as hazardous substances – to be shipped anywhere in the
world.
They therefore offer a useful complement to traditional methods of
transporting liquids in small containers, such as drums and IBCs.
Compared with drums and IBCs, they allow as much as 30 percent
more payload to be shipped in a 20ft container.
To offer the service, VTG Tanktainer entered into a strategic
partnership with long-standing flexitank producer Büscherhoff
Packaging Solutions GmbH. The company says the flexis are made in
Germany and have capacities of 12,000-24,000 litres.
Headed up by John Affeld, VTG’s flexitank division will leverage
15
Service providers who install VTG
flexitanks are trained and certified by
trained VTG Tanktainer personnel at
least once a year, the company says
VTG Tanktainer’s global network and provides customers with an
end-to-end package: from procurement to the fitting of the
flexitank, plus loading, transport handling and unloading, up to and
including flexitank recycling.
“We are pleased to have an experienced flexitank team on board
and that we can now move liquid goods in both tank containers and
flexitanks,” said Jan Röbken, managing director of VTG Tanktainer.
“For us, it is important never to stop developing and improving – and
always to be able to offer our customers the best possible transport
solution.”
All service providers who install VTG flexitanks are trained and
certified by trained VTG Tanktainer personnel at least once a year, a
company spokesperson told Bulk Distributor. The installation takes
place in defined steps that must be documented on a checklist. For
every installation (ie, each container), photos are taken before,
during and after.
Similarly, choosing the container to hold the flexi is equally
important to mitigate the risk of sloshing pressure causing sidewall
bulge. VTG says its service providers are all trained to choose only
suitable containers for flexitank transport. “Furthermore, VTG works
together with shipping companies holding a controlled stock of
suitable containers,” the spokesperson added.
www.vtg.com