Guidelines to Flexitank safety issued by TT Club

Global freight insurance provider, TT Club has issued the latest in its series of Stop Loss publications together with the Container Owners Association (COA). Focusing on the increasingly popular flexitank unit to ship bulk liquid cargoes, Flexitanks in the supply chain – defining safe operations seeks to identify the applicable risks, highlight good practice and provide practical risk mitigation guidance for those in the supply chain who procure, fit, pack, unpack and handle cargoes being shipped in flexitanks.

It is intended to be consulted and used in conjunction with the IMO/ILO/ UNECE Code of Practice for Packing Cargo Transport Units (CTU Code¹) and the Container Owners Association’s (COA) Flexitank Code of Practice².

In recommending the Stop Loss document, Mike Yarwood TT’s MD Loss Prevention said, “An increasing number of shippers recognise the benefits of shipping their bulk liquid cargoes in flexitanks. The demand continues to grow globally and both TT and the COA consider our publishing of these guidelines timely in order to maintain the safety of the process.”

As in essence a large single use bladder with valves that fits inside a general purpose freight container, the flexitank operates as part of a system which includes the container, its fittings and restraining equipment. While there are advantages to their use in transporting liquids the context of the system as a whole does require additional considerations and risks at various stages of the supply chain. These include cargo compatibility and transit circumstances.

Various liquids are commonly carried from fruit juices to molasses and from edible oils to pharmaceutical products. Each commodity has considerations for the material from which the flexitank is made, the nature of valves and pipework, and serious reflection on the potential damage caused should leaks occur. Multi-modal transits, enabled by the use of containers bring concerns over intermodal terminal awareness of and expertise in flexitank operation as well as the consequences of variable movement and temperature conditions.

The involvement of the COA in the preparation of the Stop Loss has been invaluable in bringing the vast experience of members in the safe operation of these units and the implementation of best practice throughout the supply chain to which both TT and the COA are dedicated. This Stop Loss is aimed at advancing the cause of improved safety.