Tankopslag

Storage of liquids (tank storage and tank terminal) is an important link in the commercial chain for animal and vegetable oils and fats and chemical oil products.

Various stakeholders active in liquid bulk goods storage receive lots weighing thousands of tons from abroad, which are then collected in smaller lots by barges or tankers.

Some of these oils are stored in heated tanks with heating coils (or sometimes in electrically heated tanks) that are also insulated. This is because they sometimes congeal or are insufficiently liquid to pump at ordinary outdoor temperatures. Some products also need to be stored in a nitrogen atmosphere for reasons of quality.

The delivery of special oils or oleo-chemical products in tank containers, usually from the Far East, is also a common phenomenon. These containers arrive at container terminals and can be taken directly from there to the final destination or unloaded into a tank for resale in Europe.

Tank storage companies that store oils, fats or chemical oils for use in the food chain for human or animal consumption also need a HACCP plan and GMP certification. Terminals that want to store products traded under NOFOTA contracts also need NOFOTA certification.