FLEXITANK CODE OF PRACTICE
Presented by J. Michael Rose, President, ROAM Fluid Solutions
Houston at the annual AAR Damage Prevention & Freight Claim
Conference June 29, Chicago GOALS OF PRESENTATION Inform
participants about the Flexitank Code of Practice, why it is needed
and its value to the industry Allow questions and discussion
Explain the role of the COA through its Management Implementation
Group Detail the Codes 12 key points Review key elements of
Flexitank/Container Combination testing Detail issues that will be
addressed in the immediate future A CODE IS NEEDED Rapid growth in
the number of flexitanks
Perceived increase in number of incidents Need for a responsible
approach from container owners and flexitank industry before
regulators perceive need to impose regulations I rewrote headline
Mike --- should we combine slides 3 and 4? VALUE OF CODE TO
INDUSTRY
Reduce incident levels Increase awareness Increase credibility
Convince shipping lines and railroads of value Eliminate low
quality manufacturers INDUSTRY GROWTH Approximately 280,000
flexitank movements were recorded in 2009 Breakdown of usage 20%
bulk wine 20% other food stuffs 60% chemicals (non-hazardous)
Continued growth projected even given the economic downtown
INDUSTRY GROWTH New manufacturers are being established around the
world A significant number of flexitank operators, forwarders and
service providers have entered the industry within the last 3-4
years Possible growth to 500,000 flexitank movements annually by
2014 WHY THE NEED? A CASE STUDY
Shipping lines are transporting more than 250,000 flexitanks each
year Case study: Mearsk Line courtesy of Captain Gerrit Uiteijerse,
Master Trained (Ret.), Global Cargo Consulting Management (cant
decipheraddress) Maersk Line and Safmarine expect for 2010 all
in
about 30 million container moves There are more than 159
established trade lanes connecting more than 250 ports worldwide
with over 490Main Line vessels Is the text in yellow/orange
correct? Doesnt make sense to me.. A transport as to be seen all
the way
Does text make sense. Has to be seen? Many risks Gerrit Uiteijerse
PFffff BRrrrrr July July
Global seasonal areas: Winter in the North is summer in the South
PFffff July July BRrrrrr I.L.O. WHY IS THE STANDARD CONTAINER SO
STRONG?
Bottom rail, corner posts, top rail and the sidewall are one welded
unit Thus the container can carry heavy weights With a normal
28-ton cargo of cartons, bags, etc., the container is able to
withstand even the hard port handling of placement on the ship and
berth landing. However, if the sidewalls are damaged, the system is
weakened. This occurs with a steady bulging of the sidewalls. The
system looses stability and permanent deformations result. WHY
FLEXITANK CERTIFICATION IS NEEDED
With the present carried quantity, we are very often over the limit
of what that particular container, chosen for that shipment, can
carry. It must be worthwhile to produce a high quality flexitank
and bulkhead. Leakages could entail high costs and damage other
cargo. Accidents due to inferior and less expensive production
methods could reduce the acceptance or even the whole industry WHAT
ARE WE TO ACHIEVE? The combination container, flexibag and bulkhead
must be improved. With testing, a process of improving the bags has
been initiated. Flexibags of minor quality should not be accepted.
Depots are asked to deliver qualified containers. The (cargo?)
transport on all transportation routes should not be more dangerous
than other normal general cargo. With the working group in the COA
(what?), we have set standards for a safe (bag-container
combination?) combination of the bag and the container. The
flexibag constructed for a certain quantity of cargo must have
passed the test (what test?). INFLUENCES DURING A FLEXITANK
TRANSPORT
Truck Bad roads, hard breaking, tight curves, driver should be
familiar with liquid transport Rail - Shunting and hard pushes
could occur (rail test) River barge - Rough handling only during
loading and discharging Ocean vessel - Continuous ships movements;
extreme in bad weather At terminal - Rough handling common,
Straddle carrier, Gantry work At loading/discharging - Rough
handling, placing in the Cell guides, dropping container BULGED AND
LEAKING ROLLING MOVEMENTS AT SEA 20 CONTAINERS IN A HATCH AIMS OF
THE CODE Implement controls to ensure:
Uniformity of flexitank integrity Provision of demonstrably safe
equipment Introduce third-party registration/type approval (COA)
FORMATION OF COA MANAGEMENT IMPLEMENTATION GROUP
MIG established by the COA Board of Directors Remit: To develop a
COA-recommended Code of Practice MIG to include representatives
from shipping lines, flexitank companies and the Classification
Society sector What does Remit mean? (second bullet?) Does
Classification Society need to be capitalized? Whose society is it?
MANAGEMENT IMPLEMENTATION GROUP
Maersk Line Hapag Lloyd Trans Ocean Distribution Braid Lloyds
Register ROAM Fluid Solutions (Ad hoc member/U.S. liaison) Should
this say Management Implementation Group MEMBERS? THE CODE
CONTAINS: A 12-point summary of key points
Guidelines on 5 key areas of flexitank testing, manufacturing and
operation Wouldnt the code contain 12 key points rather than a
12-point summary of key points 12-POINT SUMMARY:POINT 1 Criteria
for selecting containers to transport flexitanks: Age and condition
12-POINT SUMMARY:POINT 2 Flexitank design must comply withFlexitank
Test Criteria Rationale: Equipment in use must be the same as
equipment tested Who establishes criteria? 12-POINT SUMMARY:POINT 3
Flexitanks must be designed and selected in such a way to avert
permanent negative influence on the cargo, the flexitank itself and
the container. 12-POINT SUMMARY:POINT 4 The flexitank shall be
marked with the following information, which must be visible when
the containers right-hand door is opened: Unique flexitank number
Manufacturers name or COA-supplied code Type approval/regulation
number, which must be applied to the flexitank and the bulkhead
12-POINT SUMMARY:POINT 5 An A4 size Caution Label must be applied
to the containers left-hand door Does caution label need to be
capitalized? 12-POINT SUMMARY:POINT 6 Insurance terms for flexitank
shipments must be checked by shipping lines legal departments; each
shipment should be insured for a minimum of US$5 million by each
party involved in the chain Did I rewrite this correctly? 12-POINT
SUMMARY:POINT 7 Both the flexitank shipper and operator shall have
documented emergency plans, and the flexitank operators emergency
contact details shall be clearly marked I rewrote slightly 12-POINT
SUMMARY:POINT 8 Flexitank manufacturers must produce and provide
manuals detailing flexitank fitting, loading and discharge I added
produce and provide rather than prepare 12-POINT SUMMARY:POINT 9
Flexitank operators shall, at a minimum, comply with instructions
provided in the manufacturers manual I rewrote slightly --- make
sure it means the same 12-POINT SUMMARY:POINT 10 The filling volume
must be controlled by at least one of two methods: Calibrated
measuring equipment; or, Weight of the cargo 12-POINT SUMMARY:POINT
11 The flexitank manufacturer must be ISO 9001:2000 certified
12-POINT SUMMARY: POINT 12 When a flexitank shipment is
booked:
Cargo must be booked as non-hazardous bulk liquid in flexitank The
Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) must be provided The name of the
flexitank manufacturer/code + the approval number must be given The
flexitank operator must comply with the COA Flexitank Code of
Practice FLEXITANK/CONTAINER COMBINATION TESTING
At present, there is: No requirement for testing FCCs transported
by ship, road or rail (except by rail in USA and China) No existing
uniform global test methods/standards FLEXITANK/CONTAINER
COMBINATION TESTING
A key goal of the Code of Practice is to develop an agreed FCC
testing procedure that covers FCCs transported by ship, road and
rail FLEXITANK/CONTAINER COMBINATION TESTING
The following 3 FCC test methods have been identified:
Canadian/United Nations AAR General Information Bulletin No. 2
China Academy of Railway Sciences I added the four test methods to
this slide--- I need to figure out how to make the four bullets
into dashes FLEXITANK/CONTAINER COMBINATION TESTING
The Canadian test regulations as laid out in CAN/CGSB :2002 and UN
recommendations on the transport of dangerous goods 14th rev with
manual of tests and criteria 4th rev. ed. Amdt 1
(ST/SG/AC.10/11Rev. 4/Admt. 1) and tested at Grlitz, Germany This
text doesnt make any sense at all. Can we break it up into
individual statements? FLEXITANK/CONTAINER COMBINATION
TESTING
AAR General Information Bulletin No 2: Rules and Procedures for
test of new loads and bracing methods of material, revised February
2000 See my questions in actual slide FLEXITANK/CONTAINER
COMBINATION TESTING
China Academy of Railway Sciences Can we say anything about this?
IMPLEMENTATION Code of Practice implemented January 2010
Development of the Type Approval Process is under way Final test
procedure is under way THE IMMEDIATE FUTURE Updated Code will be
published after COAs May 20, 2010 meeting in London. It will
include 3-4 primary amendments: Review of the Container Deformation
Requirements Bulkhead must not touch door either during or after
testing is completed Materials testing requirements THE IMMEDIATE
FUTURE Classification Society submissions will be accepted for
validation (with immediate effect) As published, the AAR, TTCT and
Gorlitz rail tests are acceptable Research will be undertaken to
compare the TTCI facility impact test results with those conducted
at Gorlitz THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION
Why not add your photo here? J. Michael Rose, President, ROAM Fluid
Solutions 2646 South Loop West, Suite 405 Houston, TX 77054 Office
Mobile Fax
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