Liquid Bulk Tankers

Shipping has always played a pivotal role in facilitating world trade with its ability to transport large volumes of cargoes at low costs. It connects major continents and links the manufacturers to their customers and suppliers.

There are various types of tankers which are designed to carry different kinds of cargoes ranging from crude oil to refined hydrocarbon products to liquefied natural gas and even fresh water.

Liquid bulk cargo is carried unpackaged in any quantity and usually transported by ships that are commonly referred to as tankers. Liquid cargoes also include crude oil, liquefied natural gas and chemicals, are not boxed, bagged or hand stowed.

The tanker is a very specialized vessel. It is designed to deal with bulk liquid cargoes permitting quick loading and discharge, thereby ensuring a fast turn-round.

Transportation of liquid bulk especially bulk chemicals by sea not only requires specialist ships and equipment, but also specialist crew training, both theoretical and practical, in order for those involved to understand the characteristics of the various chemicals and be aware of the potential hazards involved in handling them.

A challenge typical for liquid tankers is emission of cargo and environmental pollutions. A shipping accident involving spill and environmental pollution is apparently more often subject to public opinion and criticism.
Liquid Bulk Tankers

Maritime logistics

Logistics is concerned with the efficient flow of raw materials, of work in process inventory, and of finished goods from supplier to customer. In addition to transportation, logistics entails inventory control, warehousing, materials handling, order processing, and related information activities involved in the flow of products.

In the maritime industry, there exist a range of actors which offer various activities and stand for different functions. Suppliers (shipyards, educational institutes, bunker, provision), ship owners and ship management companies, intermediaries (ship agents, ship brokers, freight forwarders), customers (charterers, shippers), port authorities, customs, stevedores, class and survey institutions, insurance companies, and banks are the actors in maritime transportation system.

Maritime transportation is at the core of global freight distribution in terms of its unparallel physical capacity and ability to carry freight over long distances and at low costs.

The operative task of maritime logistics is to convey cargo with ships on rivers, channels and seas at minimal costs, fuel consumption and emissions. For this purpose, optimal shipping networks and maritime transport chains have to be designed, implemented and operated. Maritime logistics is formed by a combination of transshipment functions and maritime services at ports.

Liner shipping networks are developed to meet the growing demand in global supply chains in terms of frequency, direct accessibility and transit times. Expansion of traffic has to be covered either by increasing the number of strings operated, or by vessel upsizing, or both. As such, increased cargo availability has triggered changes in vessel size, liner service schedules and in the structure of liner shipping.

International maritime freight transport is composed of two main segments, the modes which are flexible in their spatial allocation, and the terminals, as locations, which are not. Shipping lines have a level of flexibility in terms of route selection, frequency and levels of service, but port terminals have a fixed capacity that if not used can imply serious financial consequences.
Maritime logistics