Bitumen Tanker Charter
Bitumen tankers carry bitumen and asphalt, which must be kept hot to stay liquid, so they have special heating systems in the tanks.
What they carry
Bitumen and asphalt in different grades, and similar heavy products that need heating during the voyage and at discharge.
Fewer ships, plan early
There are fewer bitumen tankers than other tanker types, so describe the cargo, the temperature it needs, the ports and the laycan clearly and early.
How it is chartered
Normally a voyage charter for a full cargo, and a time charter for regular trades.
A cargo that must stay hot
Bitumen is carried hot, at about 150 to 180 degrees Celsius, so that it stays liquid. Bitumen tankers have insulated tanks and heating systems, and they keep the cargo at the right temperature for the whole voyage and for the discharge through heated pipes. Letting the cargo cool makes it impossible to pump.
Ships and terminals
Bitumen tankers are small, mostly about 3,000 to 10,000 DWT, because the cargoes are small and the terminals are specialised. Bitumen goes to road building and roofing, and the main flows run from refineries in the Middle East and Asia to markets in Africa, Asia and the Mediterranean. Give the grade, the temperature and the terminal details in your request.
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