Shipping liquid cargo by rail in tank containers. Rail cars for liquid delivery

Container shipping allows for multimodality. That is, the ability to deliver cargo "from door to door" in the same transport in which it was originally loaded using different types of transport: by sea, rail, and road within the framework of intermodal transport. Therefore, containers are being created for the transportation of various types of cargo. If it is necessary to transport liquid in this way, tank containers or tank containers are used.

What liquids can be transported in tank containers and where

Most often, tank containers are used to transport:

• Food liquid products.
• Liquid products of the chemical industry.
• Liquefied gases.

Thanks to multimodality, tank containers can be delivered to almost any populated area on the planet. As for transportation directly by rail, Moldova, Ukraine, Russia, Belarus, and other countries of the former USSR are accessible, including Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, which are part of the EU. With transshipment to rail transport designed for a narrower gauge, it is possible to deliver tank containers by rail to countries far abroad.

What is a tank container

Externally, a tank container is a tank enclosed in a metal frame made to the dimensions of standard containers for international transport. Most tank containers are built on the basis of a 20-foot container frame. 40-foot tank containers are less common, usually used for transporting compressed gases. There are also 30-foot tank containers, but they are extremely rarely used.

The useful volume of 20-foot tank containers can range from 14 to 26 cubic meters. The most commonly used 20-foot tank containers have volumes of 26.25 and 24 cubic meters. 40-foot tank containers can have a useful volume of up to 35 cubic meters.

What determines the price of transportation in a tank container

The type of liquid, and accordingly the specific type of tank container, the distance of transportation, the volume, and the mass of the transported liquid are the main parameters affecting the cost of transportation. If the tank container is transported across the territory of several states, transit customs duties are added to the transportation price. The price of a one-time transportation by tank container is relatively high. It can be reduced if the tank container is not rented for each individual transportation, but leased for a long term. This is how companies that regularly ship liquids using this type of transport operate. You can rent as many tank containers as you need; there are enough offers on the market.