For decades UN regulations have covered pretty much all that needs to be covered for standard tank containers.
But a few years back, extra-large tanks containers started to appear. These behemoths were first developed in 2015 by tank manufacturer Van Hool and German chemicals giant BASF. They were first used in 2017 at BASF’s site in Ludwigshafen, Germany, to manage in-plant logistics.
Specifically, the giant tanks ferry raw materials between different parts of the chemical plant on automated guided vehicles replacing rail tank wagons that used to do the same job more slowly and more expensively.
The tanks range in size from 45ft to 52ft and can have a capacity of as much as 73,000 litres, compared with 21,000 to 26,000 litres in conventional tanks. Such a step change in size, capacity and weight necessitated a review of current regulations covering the ISO tank industry.
Thus, in March this year a UN working party on the transport of dangerous goods took its first decisions regarding the regulation of extra-large tank containers.
The decisions – on definition, shell thickness and pressure resistant closures –offer greater regulatory clarity for manufacturers and users.
