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Demand for qualified tank cleaning facilities around the world continues to grow. A major challenge is to develop a standard cleaning certificate system. ITCO explains the key issues: Tank container operators and tank cleaners have a mutual interest. The growth and development of tank container operations globally is dependent upon there being suitable cleaning stations available in the many... – and diverse – locations and routes where tank containers trade. The more tank containers that are in, the more economically viable it is to provide tank cleaning services. Uniform standards are paramount to the successful operation of the tank container. Last year, the International Tank Container Organisation (ITCO) published a Code of Practice for both depots and clients, with the purpose of encouraging both parties to agree on industry standard procedures and processes. Time and money are both lost when non-standard procedures are required. [read more]

The EFTCO (European Federation of Tank Cleaning Organisations) Food Assessment is the result of an international work group within EFTCO. This work group was supported by the national associations of the tank cleaning stations under the leadership of DVTI (German association of tank cleaning stations) and was first implemented in September 2013. The EFTCO Food Assessment is a supplementary part... of the Safety & Quality Assessment System (SQAS) tank cleaning assessment. Over the years, quality demands from the loading industry and its related associations have steadily grown in relation to food safety and food defense. The EFTCO Food Assessment provides a worthwhile supplement and a European solution to the SQAS assessments for the wash bays which handle foodstuff cleaning. [read more]

The food industry has been hit hard over the years, with bad press ranging from the BSE outbreak to the more recent horse meat scandal. And with good reason – when it comes to food safety, there is no room for compromise. Standards for food safety must be upheld throughout the supply chain and transportation plays a significant role in this. Nowadays perishable goods such as fresh meat and... vegetables can be transported hundreds of miles to reach their final destination. The potential risks of cutting corners are far higher than just hitting the headlines, the consequences can ruin a company and in some cases may even be fatal. Back in 2011 an E.coli outbreak killed 53 people, mostly in Germany. The source of the infection was later traced back to fresh vegetables and was blamed on transport equipment that had not been cleaned properly. Instances like this show just how important it is to control and monitor tankers throughout the supply chain. [read more]

Prior to tank cleaning, it is vital that the last cargo is correctly declared. A correct tank cleaning operation starts with the correct declaration of the last carried product by the tank’s owner, usually the transporter or the tank container operator. This is important because of the stringent laws detailing what work must be carried out before the tank cleaning process begins. For... instance, the cleaning personnel must be made of aware of all dangers they will be exposed to, and this includes information about the last carried product. Product residues that remain in the tank must be removed via internal cleaning. If a worker comes into contact with this last carried product (inhale, skin contact, etc.), it can cause serious health issues. A number of fatalities occur every year in the petrochemical and food industries as a result of workers being misinformed about a particular product. [read more]

Why reconnecting tank cleaning and cargo owners is important to secure quality. Tank cleaning is an essential element in the bulk liquid and powder supply chain, and is unique in that the product comes into direct physical contact with the transport equipment. If the tanker is not cleaned well, it can cause unspecified cross contaminations and a broken traceability chain. Many cargo owners and... shippers entrust cleaning stations and transport companies with the responsibility of tanker cleaning. However, there are risks associated with delegating this critical step in their quality chain to a third party. The cleaning certificate/ document is even a risky document when misused. For example, the CMR legislation states that under IV art.17.4b the transportation company cannot be held liable for unpacked cargo. In daily practice many cargo owners are unaware or ignore these legal responsibilities and force transporters into commercial responsibility. Insurance companies have created products to cover these commercial risks. However if damage is too large, it appears that CMR suddenly comes to the table again. [read more]

Companies need to maximise product quality and minimise contamination to avoid legal implications. The issues of competition and price are not new ones within the tank cleaning industry. The claim of incorrectly issued cleanings, however, is a new challenge facing the sector today. Increasingly stringent regulations have seen litigation rise over the last few years, significantly impacting... cleaning stations in particular. In accordance with current regulations, transport companies within the loading industry need to prioritise product quality and the interests of the consumer to ensure out-of-court settlements remain the preferred option, if a disagreement arises. Regulations now specifically affect cleaning stations. If, for example, the last carried product is declared as a fat and the next product is contaminated with fatty molecules, insufficient cleaning is obviously to blame for the contamination, and not the loading company who will bore no responsibility or liability. The legal validity will depend on the statement of the cleaning station, but in such cases, an objective statement is necessary. A large number of transport companies not only use the cleaning facilities but also operate their own cleaning stations. [read more]

Tec Concept is a Belgiumheadquartered, family run company which specialises in cleaning road tankers and trucks. Such vehicles require periodical cleaning to ensure the next product transported remains free from contamination. Despite being a niche market, tank cleaning is nevertheless extremely important due to the key role road transportation plays in national and international trade in this... era of globalisation. When the company was founded in early 2000 it focused on the cleaning of the exterior of tanks and trucks. But following its acquisition of Vic System in 2008, the company expanded and today it also cleans tanks internally that are used in the food and chemical sectors, complying with the most stringent environmental standards. Tec Concept’s director, Bernard Cloet, has been working in this industry for more than 30 years. [read more]

With companies balancing their investments based on price, quality and quantity, CTW is helping its clients realise the best possible concept according to their needs. Car- & TruckWash NV (CTW) is a Belgian firm specialised in the washing of cars and trucks, and tank cleaning. The company is currently installing a new tank cleaning station in Minsk, Belarus for Proliv, a group of six... transport enterprises focused on the transportation of liquid goods. The installation, which is designed for the food sector, was custom-built for Proliv and features: • One lane equipment and five cleaning heads • Fully automated controlled cleaning process in conformity with the HACCP standards • Temperature assurance • Disinfection, follow-up and validation of the entire washing process • The whole installation is being prepared and tested in Belgium The project in Minsk involves a new kind of sustainable high pressure skid. The compact frame exists of two high-pressure pumps (100bar and 215l/min), directly connected (flange) to an electric motor. It also includes frequency regulation, filters, pre-pressure pump, product injection and monitoring. Today, CTW utilises the latest management system. The use of a touchscreen, for example, enables the client to oversee monitor factors such as pressure, flow, temperature, water consumption, chemicals, etc. [read more]

A rundown of what happened at the latest ECTA annual meeting, held on 18 November 2014 at the Du?sseldorf Plaza in Du?sseldorf, Germany. The European Chemicals Transport Association (ECTA) annual meeting kicked off with an early morning session for association members only. What followed were several presentations, the below which are of particular interest to the tank cleaning industry. ... Intermodal operations Peter Marshall, director of supply chain operations, EMEA, at Dow Chemical, spoke about the importance of intermodal rail. He said that intermodal operations have a role to play in reducing road traffic congestion, improving environmental performance and mitigating the shortage of truck drivers. Dow itself makes use of intermodal transport, Marshall said, with 80% via road and 20% short sea. Dow also contributed to the Cefic Chemical Trends report about intermodal transport network development issues, which was published in June 2014. DEKRA’s head of competence center dangerous goods, Joachim Freek, gave a presentation about road transport regulations, focusing on the changes to the IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations 2015. These standards change bi-yearly, and the next update will take place this year. [read more]