Flexitank Transportation Services

A step forward for Shipping Liquids
The Flexitank is a piece of cutting edge transportation technology produced in the USA that allows us to ship liquids in a way that offers a new level of safety, reliability and environmental friendliness. Widely considered the best flexi wine bags in the world, Flexi-Tanks allow much more reliable international liquid transportation, and are a breakthrough in liquid shipping convenience.

Some benefits of the Flexi-Tank:

• Provide the highest quality and safest bulk packaging products available
• Total global logistics solutions and support services
• Outstanding customer service
• Training and certification of loading/unloading process at customer locations worldwide
• Immediate Emergency Response to any location worldwide within 48 hours
• Assistance in proper disposal and recycling.

Wine Pac, and why we use it:

Wine Pac is an offering from the makers of Flexi Tanks that is tailored specifically to handle the requirements necessary for shipping wine.

View a PDF showing a summary of the Wine Pac, and the benefits it provides

Here’s an expanded view of the wine pac:

Flexi-Tank Resources:

• Flexi Tank Information (pdf)

And here’s how it all comes together:

If you’d like to learn a little more, or find out about how Kan-Haul can help you with flexitank transportation services your current situation, please don’t hesitate to get in touch!

What is a Flexitank?

Flexitank or “flexibags” is a bulk liquid container used in a shipping container. It is a flexible and easy-to-use container used for efficient bulk liquid transport. Flexitanks transform the conventional shipping container from a dry goods carrier into a safe container for shipping juices, oils, food-grade liquids, and nonhazardous chemicals around the world.

A flexitank provides a better option for bulk liquid transportation of non-hazardous liquids. Compared to other transport containers, it doesn’t require special machinery, making it more cost-effective. In addition, you can load and unload liquid cargo quickly using flexitanks.

Types of Cargo That Can Be Transported Using Flexitanks

Most types of non-hazardous liquid commodities can be transported in a flexitank. Included in this category are non-edible and food-grade liquids. To determine whether a specific kind of liquid can be stored and transported in a flexitank, one must review the cargo’s material safety data sheet (MSDS).

Liquid products that have been assigned a North America number (NA) or a United Nations number (UN) are deemed hazardous and can’t be stored in a flexitank. Most regulated liquids are included in this category. Further, the MSDS should indicate “non-regulated material” under the transportation section if the fluid can be transported.

Below, we’ve listed some of the non-edible liquids that you can transport using a flexitank:

• Waxes
• Emulsions
• Herbicides
• Fertilizers
• Heating oil
• Diesel
• Gasoline
• Paints
• Liquid detergents
• Transformer oils
• Non-hazardous chemicals
• Printing ink
• Lubricants

The list below includes food-grade liquids approved for flexitank transportation:

• Corn syrup
• Drinking water
• Edible oils
• Concentrates
• Tomato paste
• Fruit juices
• Fish oils
• Coconut oil
• Vegetable oils
• Palm oil
• Alcohol
• Wine
• Water
• Liquid sugar
• Milk

Types of Flexitanks

There are two basic types of flexitanks, and each have their uses and applications:

1. Transport: A transport flexitank is designed for single use only and can be loaded and unloaded quickly.
2. Storage: Storage flexitanks can be used multiple times and primarily for long-term storage. These tanks are used when a liquid product requires longer storage durations.

Advantages of Using a Flexitank

Flexitank transportation offers several benefits. They’re a better choice compared to other drums and other types of ISO containers. The benefits you can get from them range from economic to environmental applications:

• Flexitanks are a cost-effective solution
• They’re ideal for storing and transporting bulk quantities of liquid
• They protect the value and quality of the fluids being transported
• The material construction of a flexitank can resist a wide range of non-hazardous liquids
• Flexitanks can be recycled and reused for other purposes
• These transport tanks have a higher shape, material, and design tolerance
• They allow for a zero-waste type of shipping
• Flexitanks reduce a company’s operating costs
• Allows you to transport higher volumes of liquid products
• They’re perfect for use with 20-foot containers
• These tanks are beneficial to the environment

Flexitank Applications

Flexitanks are incredibly flexible and have a wide range of capacities ranging from 50 liters of fluid to a massive 26 tons. Therefore, compared to other types of containers, a flexitank can offer a better capacity-to-weight ratio.

After the contents have been emptied or transferred, a flexitank can shrink, thus occupying less space for post-transport storage. They’re ideal for bulk liquid transportation due to their higher capacities.

The following are the most common transport application of a flexitank:

• Fuel Transport and Storage

Flexitanks are an excellent option for transporting fuel such as oil and diesel. They can be coated with a protective lining to ensure the safety of their flammable contents.

• Food-Grade Liquid Transportation

These bulk containers are incredibly safe and ideally suited for storing and transporting food-grade liquids. You can use them to mass transport syrups, juices, wine, milk, and others. In addition, flexitanks can be coated with a specialized coating to prevent microbial contamination. These coating materials are made from approved food-grade materials.

• Water Storage and Transportation

Flexitanks can be used to transport drinkable water across long distances. These have disaster relief uses and emergency operations where water is badly needed. They can be transported with utmost ease requiring minimal amounts of space.

• Industrial Chemical Storage and Transportation

This is one of the major applications of flexitanks across different industries. Flexitanks are often used to store and transport liquid latex, paints, detergents, lubricants, and fertilizers.

• Single-Use Transportation

Flexitank containers are an excellent option for temporary and short-term single-use transportation. In addition, they can reduce overall transportation costs compared to composite steel tanks.

Why You Should Use Flexitanks

A flexitank is the better choice when transporting liquid non-hazardous goods. Since they’re easy to fill and unload, they allow you to move contents faster. In addition, their air and water-proof properties make them ideal for transporting food-grade liquids and pharmaceutical ingredients.

Because a flexitank is designed for one-time use, you can reduce transportation risks. Because of this feature, you can effectively mitigate any risk of contamination because each tank will only contain one type of fluid. Flexitanks also improve your shipping capacity by 40 percent. This is because they have a much larger transport capacity compared to other types of liquid containers.

Are you in need of efficient transport options for food-grade and non-edible liquids? Kan-Haul is a leading provider of bulk transportation services across different industries. We have decades-long logistics experience providing reliable solutions for different businesses.

To learn more about our flexitank transportation services, fill out this form today to learn how we can best help you.

Old methods of transporting liquids are a risky and costly operation. Fortunately, the introduction of flexitanks significantly reduced the dangers involved. With an estimated global market growth of $1.49 billion by 2026, flexitank transport continues to be the primary choice in moving non-hazardous liquids.

In the past, the only option to transport liquid cargo was with the use of tank containers. However, this traditional way of using tanks and drums for moving wines, oils, and juices – while still effective – is more costly.

Read on, and you will understand the most common things you need to consider to guarantee the safe transport of liquid goods.

Common Questions About Flexitank Transport Solutions

Here are five questions most people ask about moving liquids using flexitank – and the answers to each of them:

1. What are the most common methods of transporting liquid?

Before expanding further, here are three of the most commonly used ways to transport liquids securely and safely:

• • Drums and barrels: Available in fiber, plastic, and steel, drums and barrels have always been the standard choice for liquid cargo weighing 5 to 60 gallons. If you are planning to load liquid consumables, drum containers require a coating or liner. Securing them with pallets and strapping are essential for their stability and safety, respectively.

• • ISO tank containers: Following the standards set by International Organization for Standardization (ISO), this container has a length of 20 feet and a cubic capacity from 5,200 gallons up to 6,800 gallons. Made of anti-corrosive material and robust steel, this is the safest option for transporting large quantities of liquid material.

• IBC containers: Intermediate bulk containers, or IBC, fall between drums and ISO tank containers. These vessels can accommodate a capacity between 53 to 1,250 gallons. IBC is a common choice for transporting hazardous materials because of its superior stability due to the galvanized steel frame around the barrel. In addition, these containers have both top and bottom discharge/loading points.

Flexitanks fall under the same category as the ISO tank containers. However, flexitank is the better option for non-hazardous liquids. It is also more cost-effective since it does not require special machinery for loading and unloading liquid cargo.

2. What equipment do you need to load liquid cargo?

For containers other than flexitanks, you will need pallets and a forklift truck to lift and place them on a vehicle. For ISOs, you need to load the empty container onto the truck before filling it. It is also essential to follow proper handling and maneuvering guidelines when using these containers to ensure safety.

When it comes to flexitanks, you will need to pump the liquid in by attaching a hose to the loading connection. It usually takes 30 minutes to fill the tank up. After pumping all the fluid, everything is ready for transport, making the operation a lot quicker.

3. What can go wrong when transporting liquids?

Excellent driving skills and mental alertness are essential in keeping the liquids safe while in transit, as anything can suddenly happen on the road.

Pulling bulk tankers not filled to the brim poses more danger, so drivers need to be extra careful. The liquid will naturally slosh around as the trailer moves. Any sudden movement, whether braking hard or turning too fast, can potentially topple the trailer due to the liquid suddenly surging on one side.

Even if the trailer does not topple over, a careless driver can cause the liquid to create foam. While it usually does not cause severe spillage problems, foam can spoil the contents due to extreme aeration.

Regardless of which container type you use – except for flexitanks – you will need baffles to help slow down the sloshing movement. Flexitanks do not need baffles because their material composition and stress absorption qualities can help eliminate fluid dynamic problems.

4. Can using flexitank prevent liquid contamination?

Bulk liquid contamination is another issue that can happen while transporting liquid. If the tank container did not undergo a rigorous and thorough cleaning, the last shipment’s residue could cause contamination.

Because flexitanks are single-use containers, the contents are free from contamination. Even if you will be transporting the same type of liquid, using a disposable container is still better. The residue of the same kind of liquid can still cause contamination, like in the case of fresh milk.

5. What makes flexitank transportation a better option?

As long as you are transporting non-hazardous liquid material, flexitank is always the best option. The liquid transport container offers unique benefits not commonly found in other containers such as:

• • Cost-effective: ISO tanks and IBC units are more expensive if you add up all the costs involved, including rental, return, and cleanup. With flexitank, you are only paying for the single-use bag and the freight. Flexitanks also incur lower logistics expenses since they are easier to handle when loading and unloading liquids.

• • Faster loading/unloading: Compared to other types of liquid containers, flexitank is faster when loading aboard the trailer and the actual filling of the liquid. After pumping the fluid and securing it, the vehicle is ready to go.

• • More shipping capacity: Flexitank shipping solutions allow you to transport more liquid than other containers. With a maximum load capacity as massive as 6,340 gallons or 2,400 liters, you can move around 40% more than drummed consignments. Compared to IBCs, you get 15% more capacity.

• • Lesser transportation risks: Aside from not needing to wait for cleanup to complete, there is no risk of contamination because flexitanks are one-time use only. They are both air and waterproof, which helps maintain the quality of the liquid during transport and eliminates the formation of foams.

• Best for food and pharma-grade fluids: Flexitank’s air and waterproof properties make it the best choice for carrying pharmaceutical ingredients and food-grade liquids, such as edible oil and wine.

Use Flexitank to Ensure Safe Transport of Liquid Goods

Choose flexitanks for transporting non-hazardous liquids. Not only will it lessen the cost, but it also makes moving the contents faster. However, this is just one element of ensuring the safe transport of your liquid goods – you need a reliable freight company as well.

Choose Kan-Haul for moving your liquid cargo, whether to domestic or international destinations.