Published in early July, a new international specification entitled: ‘Specification for the manufacturing process and testing of flexitanks’ aims to improve the quality of flexitanks used for the transport of bulk liquids inside freight containers.
The new plan enables flexitank manufacturers to certify their products and aims to providean industry-wide benchmark for the manufacturing and testing of both flexitanks and the materials used for their manufacture.
The specification includes a test method for determining the flexitank’s resistance to impact when installed inside a freight container and addresses the testing, performance and labeling of the said containers.
Chris Thornton, flexitank manager at the Container Owners’ Association, said: “There are numerous standards throughout the container shipping industry, but until now there has never been a standard to aid the manufacture or testing of flexitanks, which is important.”
Thorntonadded: “Poor quality manufacturing or a lack of testing can make flexitanks more susceptible to damage, resulting in lost or damaged stock as well as the resulting clean-up.”
Flexitanks offer financial and environmental benefits to businesses and usage has grown significantly acrossmany industries.
