Solving the Challenges of Bulk Liquid Transport

Bulk liquids used to only move in barrels, intermediate bulk container (IBCs), tank railcars, or chemical tankers. Each of these transport solutions introduced extra handling, higher contamination risk and mode‑switching friction, meaning the cost and delays that occur when freight is transferred between different modes of transport: from truck to rail, from rail to ship, etc. 

Standardized ISO Tank Containers solved these issues by putting a liquid bulk tank inside a standard ISO 668 freight container frame. This way the same unit can shift seamlessly between Truck, Rail and Sea Freight. The resulting intermodal simplicity is the foundation of safer, cleaner and more efficient transport.

How Tank Container Logistics Changed the Game

Safety and compliance are built in from the get-go. Tank Containers are engineered and certified under tight international frameworks. Periodic testing keeps them road‑, rail- and sea‑ready over long service lives.

Lifecycle sustainability is high: A well‑maintained tank routinely serves 30+ years and is ~90% recyclable at end of life, turning high‑grade steel back into raw material instead of single‑use waste.

Because the container itself is the packaging, you avoid multiple transfers of your liquid product. In a full life‑cycle view, transport operations account for ~98% of emissions as shown by an ITCO Shanghai–Rotterdam case study. So, cutting handovers and optimizing routes delivers a real sustainability impact.

The Fleet is Growing

The global Tank Container fleet keeps expanding. According to the ITCO 2025 Global Fleet Report, the fleet reached 882,023 units by January 01, 2025. That’s an increase of 3.96% over the previous year. While this is positive, it’s a noticeable drop from the 5.81% growth seen in 2023.

42,123 new Tank Containers were built in 2024, down from 56,600 in 2023, while 8,500 older tanks were scrapped or sold out of service. This shows that operators are focusing on optimizing existing assets and extending the life of Tank Containers rather than aggressive expansion.

Market concentration remains high: The Top 10 operators now control just under 50% of the global operator fleet, and the Top 10 leasing companies are holding about 84% of all leased tanks. Around 15% of leasing fleets were idle at the start of 2025, mainly due to repositioning, maintenance and uneven demand across regions.

The Future of Bulk Liquid Transport

Here’s why ISO Tank Containers will likely dominate the upcoming years of the logistics landscape around bulk liquid supply chains and where the momentum comes from:

Sustainability and Packaging Waste Reduction

The claims of flexibag-sustainability are often overstated versus the multi‑decade reusability of Tank Containers. Reusable Tank Containers displace thousands of single‑use drums or one‑way flexibags, cutting waste and disposal costs, while supporting corporate sustainability goals by being eco-friendly. Tank Containers are already a core element of a global sustainable logistics landscape and will gain in importance for the year to come.

Tank Containers are Built for a Low-Carbon Future

Most emissions in bulk liquid transport come from moving cargo. That is why using more low-carbon transport modes like Rail and Sea Freight has the biggest impact. Tank Containers are designed for exactly this: They work seamlessly across transport modes and fit into efficient global networks. Combined with digital tracking and better planning, they help companies cut emissions and costs, making Tank Containers a key solution for sustainable logistics now and in the future.

Supply Chain Resilience by Design

A concentrated base of global operators and lessors provide multi‑region coverage and swap capacity. Tank Containers can buffer inventory as temporary mobile storage, supporting just‑in‑time flows without paying for extra warehouse space. This is key in the current and future world of reroutes, sanctions, tariff policies, and weather‑driven disruptions. 

Regulatory Standardization

ITCO is working with authorities to standardize regulations globally to enable Tank Containers to be used more easily across different regions. For example by permitting more substances in “bottom‑outlet” Tank Containers while operating in RID countries and ADR countries. Clearer rules will increase planning confidence and reduce approval friction across modes.

How Leschaco Tank Containers Support You

At Leschaco, we have been pioneers in Tank Container logistics for decades, and today more than 5,000 of our own tank containers operate worldwide as the backbone of our liquid transport solutions. 

Built for decades of use and up to 90% recyclable, our Tank Containers offer a sustainable alternative to single-use packaging. Strict maintenance and cleaning standards guarantee reliability, while our advanced Tank Container System provides real-time visibility and efficient fleet management. Combined with regulatory expertise and digital solutions, we deliver tailor-made, compliant, and transparent logistics. 

Tank Containers are more than packaging, they are the future of bulk liquid transport, and Leschaco is your trusted partner to make it happen.