Transportation of bulk and liquid cargo

Bulk cargo is raw materials, building materials, crops, fertilizers, chemicals, for the transportation of which packaging or containers are not used. Depending on the size of particles or granules, such cargoes are divided into several types:

• Dusty (the size of one particle is not more than 0.05 mm). Such goods include, for example, flour and sugar.
• Actually bulk (unit size from 0.05 mm to 13 mm). It can be coal, coke, ore, grain.
• Break Bulk. These include broken glass, bricks, building materials, as well as agricultural crops – beets, melons (pumpkin, zucchini, watermelons).

By sea, bulk cargo is transported by special ships – bulk carriers, with holds for transportation of raw materials without additional packaging.

The rules for the carriage of such goods by sea are described in various documents, for example, in the International Code for the Carriage of Bulk Goods by Sea and the International Code for the Safe Carriage of Grain in Bulk. There are several basic rules:

1. The weight of the cargo should be evenly distributed over the compartment in order to avoid possible damage to the ship’s structure.

2. The vessel must be equipped with instruments for measuring the level of oxygen and gas in the premises, in case transported cargo may emit toxic substances.

3. Covered cargo spaces of the ship should be equipped with air ventilation systems that operate in such a way that small particles do not enter the living quarters. This is very important while transporting dangerous goods. In this case, it is forbidden to direct air flow to self-heating substances.

4. The ship’s staff must be provided with personal protective equipment for working with raw materials.

5. When transporting grain, it is necessary to isolate them from moisture, odors, and also make sure before loading that there are no pets, such as rats or insects, in the cargo spaces.

UNI-LAMAN GROUP transports bulk and liquid cargoes not only by sea, but by rail. For this, special trucks are used: open, covered, hopper trucks (self-unloading). Delivery by railway is beneficial to use for the transportation of large consignments of goods both throughout the country and to other countries.

In Ukraine, the rules for the carriage of bulk cargo by rail are established by the relevant ministry. You should pay attention to the following:

1. Cargoes that depend on the level of humidity or may be partially lost due to gusts of wind are transported only in covered wagons. These cargoes include cement, mineral fertilizers, lime.

2. Buckwheat, rice, barley, wheat and other agricultural crops are transported in special grain wagons. But there are a number of limitations. For example, flour can only be transported in bags or flour tanks. When transporting some types of seeds, it is necessary to glue the walls inside the wagons with paper.

3. After the transportation of alabaster, coal, asphalt, graphite, chalk, dry paints and other dusty or dyes, Consignee is obliged to wash the wagons or pay for the wash to the wagon owner.

4. Before loading raw materials, Shipper is obliged to check the integrity and cleanliness of the wagons.

Liquid bulk goods are liquids and liquefied gases that are transported in special vehicles without additional packaging. Such goods are of two types:

• food (water, milk, oils, wine and cognac alcohols, etc.);
• hazardous (oil products, acids, gases, chemicals).

Most often, liquid cargo is transported on special ships – tankers.

When transporting liquid cargo, a number of rules must be observed:

1. Shipper is obliged to provide the ship’s crew with information on the characteristics of the cargo and the rules for handling it.

2. Tanks, in which hazardous substances are transported, must be sheathed with anti-corrosion materials.

3. The temperature regime inside the compartment must be the same throughout the entire route, since an increase in temperature can lead to a leakage or even an explosion, and a sharp decrease – to solidification of liquid cargo, therefore some compartments may be equipped with a heating system.

4. When transporting petroleum products, it is important to take into account the high electrification of such liquids. Various methods are used to avoid sparks and ignitions, including strictly regulating the speed of oil passing through the hoses during loading.

Also, bulk cargo can be transported in flexitanks – metal containers with a disposable sealed bag inside. Such structures make it possible to use the entire useful area of ​​the container when transporting liquid cargo. Container does not need to be washed after transportation. But it is worth considering that no dangerous goods are transported in flexitanks.